The Groom's Cottage
by Batwings79
Summary: The war brings change to everything, including Downton Abbey. What happens when an overheard conversation threatens to take the one last constant in Charles Carson's life?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I need to say thanks to both Onesimus and Lavender & Hay for their input on the early drafts of this story. They've kept me as true as can be expected in this AU where the Elsie/Charles ship exists.**

The war had taken its toll everywhere and Downton Abbey was no exception. All the young men of the village had eagerly enlisted to support and defend King and country.

Matthew was the first of the Crawley family members to be deployed. Spending time with his cousin Robert, the current Lord Grantham and keeper of Downton Abbey, had instilled in him a sense of responsibility to both family and community which blossomed into true patriotism after the declaration of war was announced at the garden party. The final push towards enlistment was realizing that Lady Mary was still sitting on the fence where their engagement was concerned and he felt a very real need to put some distance between them.

Young men weren't the only ones being pressed into service. Lord Grantham and Sir Anthony Strallan were both recruited as strategists and were now spending much of their time in the war offices in London. This was hard on her Ladyship and their daughters. Cora had assumed that Robert was of an age that his services would not be required but she could at least be comforted that he was not on the front lines with the younger men.

Below stairs at Downton was no different. First it was Thomas who had enlisted in the medical corps with Dr. Clarkson even before the big announcement at the garden party. He was not much missed by the other members of staff with the possible exception of Miss O'Brien, his partner in crime for much of the mischief that he used to get up to. Then it was Mr. Bates who went to London as Lord Grantham's valet and personal assistant. And finally William enlisted and went off with high hopes and great expectations.

As it turned out, the younger men all ended up assigned to the same regiment. Matthew was the commanding officer directly over William and Thomas' medical corps was assigned as their support in the field. The problem was that they were some of the first troops to be sent to France where much of the action was taking place against the German army. Some part of each morning both above stairs and below was spent scouring the newspapers that contained the lists of the dead, wounded and missing in action.

The loss of both footmen had the butler, Mr. Carson, running ragged and burning the candle at both ends. Mrs. Hughes, the housekeeper, tried to help out wherever she could by running interference with the rest of the staff and taking over as much of the bookkeeping as Mr. Carson would allow. Still, it wasn't long before the stress was taking a physical toll on him, the furrows on his brow deepening and dark circles forming under his eyes.

Mr. Carson had been running up and down the stairs for nearly half an hour bringing up the salvers and trays for the morning meal.

"Mr. Carson! You need to slow down before you fall down," exclaimed Mrs. Hughes as he paused beside the trestle table in the kitchen to catch his breath.

He shook his head ruefully and said "Breakfast must be served! I'll be back for the last of it in just a few minutes." He looked longingly at his chair at the head of the table, wishing that he could sit down to rest for just a few minutes before turning on his heel and heading back up the stairs.

"That's it! I'll not let the fool man kill himself over a few slices of toast!" Mrs. Hughes picked up the last tray and followed him up the stairs to the dining room. She waited in the hall outside the door knowing that Mr. Carson still felt it inappropriate for women to serve at table. Even with a much reduced staff, he could not bring himself to adapt and change.

Carson came through the door and in his rush to get back downstairs for the last tray he almost ran straight overtop Mrs. Hughes standing in the hall. She'd been holding the tray at waist height and when Carson hit the opposite edge it just about knocked the wind out of her.

"Are you alright?" he exclaimed as he quickly put his arms around her shoulders to hold her upright. He moved his hands to take the tray from her and she stepped back a couple of paces refusing to give it to him. He quirked an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"Charles Carson!" she said in a hoarse whisper. "You're going to end up dropping dead of a heart attack if you keep up this pace. You can't do it all by yourself!"

"Elsie, please! Let's not get into this again!" he started in an exasperated tone. Switching tactics he tried to cajole her into releasing the tray, "The family is waiting _patiently _for their toast."

She finally stretched out her arms and let him take the tray from her. "This is not the last on this subject, Charles!"

He watched as she turned and headed downstairs in a huff. He knew that he would catch an earful later in the day but he also knew that she was right. It was difficult enough for him to keep up when it was just her Ladyship and "the girls" as he affectionately referred to Lady Mary, Lady Edith and Lady Sybil in his own thoughts. He was going to have to come up with a solution and he was pretty sure that Elsie would have her say in the matter as well.

- o _O_ o -

Things ran smoothly up until Carson arrived in the dining room to prepare the table for the evening dinner service. He should have known something was up when all he could find below stairs was the tray with the silverware on it. The linens were on the table and Anna was setting the last of the china while Elsie polished the crystal. Anna could feel the sudden tension in the room and as she looked up from the last place setting, she could see Elsie and Charles glaring at each other.

"I think I'll just go downstairs and see if the laundry is ready to come in from the lines," she said as she edged her way to the door leading to the hallway.

"You do that, and when you're finished, you can check to make sure that the spare rooms are fresh and tidied. His Lordship is coming home for a few days and it may well be a very late night after all the catching up is done. I want to be sure that we're ready if Sir Anthony, Mrs. Crawley or Lady Violet should choose to stay over." Elsie continued in an even tone, never breaking eye contact with Charles, "And you can tell Mrs. Patmore that I'll be down as soon as Mr. Carson and I have finished discussing the dinner service for tonight."

"Yes, Mrs. Hughes." Anna hurried through the door not wanting to be around to witness what she knew was going to be a fight of epic proportions.

It was not often that Elsie and Charles fought. Now that's not to say that they didn't have disagreements or even the occasional argument but it was very rare indeed that there were raised voices or slamming doors. But on this occasion, Elsie was prepared to yell and scream or slam as many doors as it would take to make this old fool see sense as far as she was concerned.

What she wasn't prepared for was his total surrender. She waited for him to fire the first salvo but all he did was pick up the silver and begin to finish off the place settings. He was half way round the table when she finally couldn't stand the silence anymore.

"Charles?"

"Elsie, I meant it."

"Meant what?"

"I don't want to argue anymore," he breathed a heavy sigh. "I'm tired…I'm tired of the war, I'm tired of the changes and I'm especially tired of us constantly being at odds with one another over this."

She couldn't ever remember him sounding so despondent before and it wrenched at her heart. Tears began to prickle behind her eyes and she turned towards the windows to hide them from him.

Charles looked up from the table and immediately felt sorry. After all these years, he could read her like a book and was disappointed that his behavior could cause her to turn away from him. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her. He nuzzled the top of her head as he pulled her back against his chest.

"Charles, someone might walk in."

"I don't care. I just need to know that you're not angry with me."

"Of course I'm angry with you," she turned in his arms and laid her head on his chest. "I just have a hard time _staying_ angry with you. I can't understand why you won't allow us to help you."

He reached down and tilted her chin up so that he could look into her beautiful brown eyes. "I know you're right, Love, but you know how hard it is for me to give up my traditions and routines."

"Mmm," she sighed in agreement, "what I don't want is for my love's stubborn streak to put him into an early grave!" She raised up on her tiptoes to place a loving kiss on his lips.

"Alright, you win. Who would you suggest I have assist me in the dining room this evening? And don't say O'Brien just to get even with me!" The corners of his mouth curled up in a resigned smile.

Elsie laughed and gently pulled away from him to finish polishing the crystal. "I've already asked Anna if she would be willing for the moment."

"Hmm, good choice," replied Charles. He liked Anna. She was pretty, neat as a pin and most importantly, she followed instructions to the letter. "If I have to break with tradition and have a woman serving at table, I believe that Anna is best suited for the task."

"I'm so glad that you agree with me," smirked Elsie. "That's the last of the crystal so I'll leave you to it shall I and go downstairs to check on Mrs. Patmore."

He swatted her on the bottom as she passed by him on her way out the door. "And I'll be coming to your parlor for a very large brandy to soothe my battered sensibilities when the night is finished mind you."

_**A/N2: I've lurked on this site and enjoyed reading and reviewing the stories of others...now's your chance to get even! ;-)**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thank you for all the lovely reviews and encouragement. Thanks again to my mentors (Onesimus and Lavender & Hay). **_

_**Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters and I promise to return them to where I found them when I'd one playing with them – just like my Mommy taught me! **_

Lord Grantham arrived just as dinner was being served and met his family as they seated themselves around the dining room table. Carson and Anna stood together at the sideboard waiting for everyone to get settled before serving the first course.

His Lordship motioned for Sir Anthony to have a seat while he worked his way around the table with hugs and kisses for all the women in his life, his mother, his daughters and as he bent down to greet his wife, he felt her hand brush the back of his knee in their customary private greeting that said "I've missed you."

Sir Anthony had commanded his cousin Isobel's attention so he took his seat and absentmindedly rubbed small circles over the back of his wife's hand. Cora turned her hand over to gently squeeze her husband's and gave him a quizzical look when he glanced over at her.

He just gave her a grim smile and released her hand. He wished he didn't have to make the announcement of the news that he had received just as they were leaving London earlier in the day but he felt that it would be unfair to hold it until after dinner.

As Carson approached the table, Lord Grantham held up his hand to command everyone's attention. "I received some rather distressing news just as we were leaving London. It seems the regiment that Matthew and young William are serving in took fire two days ago at Somme, France. There were a lot of casualties." Lord Grantham looked down at the table seeming to be at a loss for words.

He heard Isobel's breath catch and quickly reassured her, "Matthew was wounded but is currently in the field hospital being cared for. It is unknown if there will be any permanent damage but they say that he will live and will be returned to you, Isobel." Sir Anthony was sitting next to her and he covered her hand with his in an effort to comfort her. She smiled at him although her eyes were filled with tears.

"I'll be sure to stay on top of the news and let you know as soon as Matthew is moved to a hospital here in London and we can have Branson deliver you directly to London if you'd like," offered Lord Grantham. Isobel could only nod and look down at her lap in an effort to keep the tears at bay.

Lord Grantham looked over at his daughter Mary and found her staring intently at the plates in front of her on the table. Mary had recently been engaged to Matthew Crawley and her father knew that she still harbored strong feelings for the young man, "Mary?"

Lady Mary reluctantly tore herself away from the images that were playing in her mind as she stared down at the table, "Cousin Isobel, I'm so sorry to hear about Matthew. Perhaps you would allow me to accompany you to London when the time comes?" Her voice sounded cold and unfeeling even to her own ears but she was so overwhelmed with her own feelings, she just couldn't allow anyone to see them for fear she would break into a thousand pieces right before their eyes.

"What of William, Papa?" piped up Lady Sybil. She was the youngest of Lord Grantham's daughters and was often the peace maker between Mary and middle daughter Edith so her first instinct was to try to shift the focus off of Mary and smooth over the awkward situation.

Carson was standing just behind his Lordship's left shoulder trying to ignore the conversation and waiting for a signal to begin serving again but his ears perked up at the mention of the second footman's name. Lord Grantham turned at that moment and looked directly at him, "William is on the list of those missing in action." He handed Carson the telegram that he'd received just as he was leaving his office this morning. "You'll likely want to share this with Mrs. Hughes and the others below stairs."

"Thank you, your Lordship. I think that perhaps this can wait until after the dinner service." His composure didn't slip for a second but that didn't mean that Charles didn't feel as though he'd been kicked in the stomach.

"Understood, Carson. I know that William was…is…a much loved member of the staff and they will likely take the news hard. Sir Anthony and I will just go through with the ladies after dinner this evening and you can retire early to tend to the staff," replied his Lordship.

Charles inclined his head in acknowledgement and joined Anna at the sideboard. "Not a word below stairs until I've had a chance to break the news to Mrs. Hughes first," he whispered to her. Anna gave him a grim smile and turned to begin serving the first course.

-o _O_ o-

Charles came down the stairs with the last of the empty glasses from dinner and placed them in the scullery. He looked around the kitchen but did not see Elsie sitting at the table with the rest of the staff. He stepped up and knocked on the door to her parlor before opening it and letting himself in. Elsie looked up from the accounts that she was going over to see the solemn look on Charles face.

"The dinner service couldn't have gone that badly now, could it?" she asked with a smile.

Charles found that he couldn't look her in the eye as he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out the telegram that Lord Grantham had given him. Elsie rose from her desk and walked over to stand in front of him. She reached up and touched his cheek, "Tell me what's wrong, Charles."

He studied the carpet between their feet for a few moments before breaking the news to her. "It's William. His Lordship brought news this evening that William's regiment had taken fire a few days ago." Charles swallowed around the huge lump that had formed in his throat. "They've placed William on the list of those missing in action," he finally choked out as the tears began to form in his eyes.

Elsie just looked at him blankly, refusing to acknowledge what he'd just said. "That…that can't be true," she said quietly. "It just can't be."

"It's all here in this telegram," he said taking a deep breath to calm himself as he handed it to her. "I have to go inform the rest of the staff before Sybil or one of the others comes down here to console Daisy." Charles turned to open the parlor door and as he did, Elsie swept past him at full speed down the hallway and out the back door. Although he was worried that she hadn't seemed to be having any reaction at all to the news, he knew where he would find her after he'd broken the news to the rest of the staff.

Charles stood in the doorway to the kitchen, "I have an announcement to make," and by the time that he had finished relaying the news, Mrs. Patmore and Miss O'Brien were looking down at the table, each lost in their own thoughts about William and the war. Daisy had broken down sobbing and wailing about losing her precious William and Anna sat in the chair next to her trying to console her.

Charles, being the quiet, reticent man that he was, was at a complete loss when it came to wailing women. He felt as though he was being torn in two. He knew that it was his responsibility to insure that the staff was taken care of but his mind was completely overtaken with his worry for Elsie.

"Anna, take Daisy upstairs and put her to bed," came Mr. Bates voice from across the table. Anna stood up and coaxed the still sobbing Daisy to her feet. Mr. Bates stepped over beside Charles and spoke quietly to him, "She needs you." Charles turned towards him and a look of understanding passed between them.

"There's a bottle of brandy in the bottom drawer of my desk. It won't hurt and maybe it will help her sleep," said Charles tilting his head towards Daisy and Anna as they headed up the stairs. Mr. Bates nodded and Charles turned and headed out the back door.

**_A/N2: I've lurked on this site and enjoyed reading and reviewing the stories of others...now's your chance to get even! ;-)_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: This time kudos go directly to my beta Onesimus – I may have chosen the character and written the words but it was her idea to have someone realize Charles' conflict at the end of the last chapter and take over so he could go take care of our Elsie! **_

Elsie had almost ran in her haste to get to the garden. It was a small spot just outside the dining room windows and hardly anyone ever walked this far around the east wing so it was generally deserted. There was a box hedge that came out from the outer wall of the dining room and turned to run parallel with the house forming a long rectangle. At some point, someone had planted flowers in a bed along the hedge – lilies and tulips which bloomed in the spring and then there were roses that bloomed later in the summer. Charles had found her there the first time, after a particularly heated argument during the early stages of their relationship. Over the years they found that it was a private and quiet spot where they could be themselves, a loving couple that held hands and hugged and touched and kissed. Charles and Elsie had affectionately come to refer to it as _their_ garden.

Elsie stood staring at the roses without really seeing them. She felt numb all over as Charles words echoed in her brain. "It can't be true," she kept whispering to herself in an effort to keep her heart from shattering. She had always been fond of William and tended to mother him a bit, even from his first day at Downton. A mutual affection grew between the two as William realized that she would offer words of comfort or support when she sensed that he was feeling particularly homesick. She and Charles often referred to the younger staff as _the children_ in a humorous way but Elsie's maternal instinct had increased exponentially after the death of William's own mother. He'd sat in her parlor crying his eyes out with his face buried in her lap. She'd held him and soothed him just as a mother would do. And when he told her he was enlisting and going to war, she felt her heart constrict and she worried so about him, just as a mother would do. And now that there was a possibility that he would not be coming home, her heart was breaking just like a mother's heart would do.

Elsie was lost in her thoughts when Charles came around the corner of the east wing into the garden. He found her standing in front of the roses with her arms wrapped around herself. He didn't want to intrude but he found that he couldn't just stand there and watch her from afar. He wanted to hold her and comfort her, take away all the hurt that he knew would be aching in her heart. He walked over and turned her to face him and noticed the tracks of tears streaming down her cheeks. She stepped up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his waistcoat. Charles held her close and felt his own heart breaking as her tears began to soak the front of his shirt.

-o _O_ o-

Robert had noticed that a storm was beginning to gather as they arrived at Downton Abbey earlier in the evening. He and Cora often enjoyed watching a good thunderstorm from the windows of their second story bedroom in the east wing of the house. From their vantage point they could see across the gardens and the meadowlands watching the lightening dance across the sky. As Robert drew back the curtains and opened the windows a bit in anticipation of the brewing storm, he noticed the couple standing out in the garden below.

"Cora, is that Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes?" he asked, motioning for her to come over to the window. She looked down just as Mrs. Hughes buried her face in Carson's chest. Robert and Cora could hear her sobs through the open window although Charles' voice was so low that they couldn't make out what he was saying to her. They watched as he leaned down to bury his face in her neck and tighten his embrace.

"Robert, we really shouldn't be spying on the staff," said Cora as she tried to pull him away. He shushed her as he continued to watch, fascinated by the scene unfolding beneath their window. It came as quite a surprise to him that Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes were this close to each other. He and Cora had always joked that the housekeeper and butler behaved as though they'd been married for donkey's years but he never would have guessed that they were involved in _any_ sort of relationship, married or not.

-o _O_ o-

As Elsie's sobs began to subside, Charles began to whisper soothing words to her and he kissed the side of her jaw working his way towards her lips in an attempt to comfort her. Elsie pulled back and slapped him hard across the cheek. Although it took him by surprise, he still felt the need to comfort her and tried to draw her back into his arms. She fought him like a wildcat and began to beat her small fists against his chest.

"NO, Charles!" she screamed at him. "This is not something that you can kiss and make it go away!"

As Charles struggled with her, the storm suddenly broke overhead with a deafening crack of thunder as the skies opened up and poured down bucketfuls of rain. He didn't know if it was the stress on the household with the war, the possible loss of William or just the fright from the sudden clap of thunder but Elsie fainted straight away and collapsed into his arms. He tried to revive her but with the rain pouring down, they were both soaked to the skin in seconds and the lightning and thunder were getting closer so he scooped her up in his arms and headed for the back door.

-o _O_ o-

Robert and Cora were so engrossed in what was happening between the butler and the housekeeper that the blinding flash of lightening and the thunderous sounds of the breaking storm took them both by surprise. When they looked back down into the garden and saw Mr. Carson carrying an obviously unconscious Mrs. Hughes towards the house, Robert looked at Cora and when she started to speak, he placed a finger over her lips and said, "I'll send for Dr. Clarkson

-o _O_ o-

Tom Branson delivered Dr. Clarkson directly to the servants entrance on the backside of Downton Abbey. The doctor made his way through the crowd of ladies maids standing at the foot of the back staircase and headed straight upstairs to the servant's quarters with his bag in hand.

Lord Grantham had heard the car coming down the long driveway and when he realized that they were driving around back, he headed for the stairs down to the kitchens. When he arrived below stairs, everyone stood to attention.

"Sir?" asked Mr. Bates when Robert looked around the room.

"I was looking for Dr. Clarkson. He's gone upstairs already I suppose?"

"Yes sir," replied Mr. Bates falling in behind Robert as he headed up the backstairs.

Robert started to turn towards the ladies hall when Mr. Bates reached out and touched his elbow. "This way, your Lordship," and to Robert's surprise, they headed in the opposite direction down the men's hallway to Mr. Carson's room.

Upon entering, Robert saw Dr. Clarkson bending over the bed where Elsie lay shivering and unconscious beneath the covers. Her complexion was very pale and her skin seemed to be drawn so tight across her features that it was difficult to imagine that this was the fiery tempered Scots woman who kept _everyone_ in line.

Charles was kneeling beside the bed holding onto Elsie's hand. Dr. Clarkson had his stethoscope in his left hand as he motioned towards her chest with his right, "Mr. Carson, would you please?" Charles started at the sound of Dr. Clarkson's voice but immediately began to undo the top buttons on her nightgown.

Robert had been looking around the room and noticed Elsie's wet clothes lying on the chair in the corner next to the wardrobe. He had turned back towards the bed when Dr. Clarkson spoke and his eyebrows went skyward at the sight of Carson undoing and holding Elsie's gown up just enough for the doctor's stethoscope to have unhindered access. His Lordship was caught completely off-guard and he found himself staring when he likely should have left the room or turned his back at the very least.

Carson happened to look up and catch Robert's surprised look. When he finally realized what was going through Robert's mind, he just shook his head dejectedly and ground out, "She is my wife." He returned his attention to Elsie and focused on fastening up her nightgown when Dr. Clarkson was finished with his examination.

Dr. Clarkson stood up and turned to Robert to deliver the diagnosis, "I believe she will recover fully but it will take some time. It is my understanding from Mr. Carson she's lost a significant amount of weight and she's not been sleeping well or even at all these past few days. My recommendation is complete bed rest for at least a week and then I'll stop by to see how the patient is doing."

Turning to Charles he said, "Mr. Carson, you'll need to make sure that she eats at least three meals a day. Have Mrs. Patmore prepare a hearty broth for luncheon and dinner for the first few days and then she can have whatever she'll tolerate."

Charles remained on his knees by her side, "Will she wake up?" His eyes never left her face.

"She will, once her body has rested enough to recover somewhat. I would guess that she will sleep through the night," answered the doctor.

"And tomorrow…"Charles voice trailed off as he tried to bite back the tears that threatened to overwhelm him.

"And tomorrow," Dr. Clarkson stepped over to stand quietly beside him, "she _will need you…_to make sure she eats properly and rests enough and takes care of herself. And _you_ Charles, need to get some rest yourself. You'll do her no good if you come down exhausted and sick as well."

Carson's chest heaved as he struggled to maintain his composure but he managed to nod his head as he brought her hand up and pressed it to his cheek.

"I'll see you out, Dr. Clarkson," said Robert as they both stepped out into the hallway. He looked back as he started to close the door and saw the stricken look on Charles face as he buried his head in the covers next to Elsie. "The man is terrified of losing her," he thought to himself and realized he would feel the same way if anything ever happened to his Cora.

_**A/N2: I now understand the addition to reviews – there is something exciting about reading that someone actually "gets it" about what you wrote or that they are thinking about what things mean and are excited about what's next! Thank you for the great reviews!**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone for the reviews and sharing your insights with me. Many good questions and points of view and yes, I'm considering a small shift based on one of those ideas.**_

_**Ellie987: You're "almost" right – keep reading! ;-) **_

Robert invited Dr. Clarkson to his study for a drink before he left. "Terrible news about Matthew and William," commented the doctor as he took the glass from his Lordship's hand.

"I believe that Mrs. Hughes is…_unusually_ attached to the young footman, especially since his mother passed away. I wonder if that is a part of what's been causing her _discomfort_?" queried Robert in an attempt to find out what the doctor knew about her relationship with Carson.

"That…among other things," replied Dr. Clarkson, "Running this house with a greatly reduced staff has to be causing her a lot of stress."

"That would be Carson's responsibility," said Robert as the doctor looked at him questioningly. "Her staff is complete, it is his staff that is greatly reduced, he is the one that should be suffering from the stress."

"And what makes you believe that he is not?" asked the doctor but Robert just shrugged his shoulders and stared into his glass of brandy. "As you heard tonight, you can likely imagine that his worries are also her worries. Or at least she worries about him and how he's handling things," continued the doctor.

"And what about that, man!" exploded Robert, "How long have they been married and why wasn't I consulted or at the very least made aware of it?"

Dr. Clarkson looked at Robert over the rim of his glass, "I'm not sure that it is my story to tell."

"Well, as Lord of this estate and the tenants entrusted to my care, it is my right to know what is happening right under my nose! Why didn't they come to me?"

"Perhaps they were afraid that as the _Lord_ of this estate, you'd toss them out on their ear in a fit of temper," smirked the doctor.

Robert scowled at him for a moment and then gave a resigned sigh. He was not really angry with the couple, he was more upset with himself for not being aware.

-o _O_ o-

"I spoke with Dr. Clarkson before he left," said Robert as he climbed into bed next to his wife. "They came to him about five years ago. Not long after Carson had suffered through that terrible bout of pneumonia. They wanted him to know in case there were…decisions to be made. I just don't understand why I didn't see a change in their relationship or have some clue that they had gotten married."

"Perhaps it's because there _wasn't_ a change in their relationship, my dear. The way they talk to one another and argue with each other and always let each other know what they're doing and where they're going…as we've both said before, they _act _like they've been married forever." Cora looked at her husband with a bemused expression on her face, "And _being_ married would explain a lot."

"Such as?"

"Their requests for days off at the same time when we are away from Downton. His hand at the small of her back when he's guiding her down the hall or across the street in the village. And," she paused with a small smirk on her face. Her husband quirked an eyebrow at her.

"I've often seen them standing in the garden under our bedroom window with their arms around each other just talking or, _not talking_," giggled Cora.

"You never said anything!" exclaimed Robert.

"Of course not! As long as the household kept running smoothly, I didn't think that it was any of our business. I'm just glad to hear that she's going to be alright. I can't imagine what this house would be like without her here to keep a tight rein on things."

Robert snuggled over to his wife and tried to nibble on her neck as Cora rambled on, "I suppose we'll have to arrange for a larger bed to be moved downstairs. It seems to me, the rooms in the servant's quarters aren't really large enough for that though, hmmm."

"Hmm? What say we practice a bit of 'not talking' ourselves," whispered Robert as he pulled his wife into his arms.

-o _O_ o-

Charles was roused from a fitful slumber by the feel of a small hand stroking the top of his head. He looked up from the floor where he had fallen asleep on his knees with his head resting on his arms on the edge of the bed. Elsie smiled faintly at him, "You're poor knees are going to make you pay for falling asleep in that position, you know."

He smiled ruefully as he took hold of her hand and raised it to his lips. "You frightened me to death, woman!" he growled and scrubbed at his eyes with the back of his hand.

"I'll be right as rain in the morning, you'll see." A fit of shivering overtook her and her teeth started chattering. Charles slowly got up from the floor on his creaky knees and started for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"To get you some more blankets," he said as he opened the door.

"Mmm… I'll sleep warmer and sounder with you as my blanket. Now put your pyjamas on and come to bed, you silly man!" she tried to sound demanding as she snuggled down into the covers with a huge yawn.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied with a chuckle as he turned to the wardrobe to fetch his pyjamas. When he turned back to the bed, Elsie's eyes were closed and she seemed to be resting comfortably. He removed her now damp clothes from the chair in the corner of his room and hung them in the wardrobe next to his own suit. He moved the chair over to the bedside and was just about to try to make himself comfortable when he heard a small voice beside him.

"And what am I supposed to do should another attack of the shivers come upon me?" she asked raising an eyebrow at him.

"It doesn't appear that there's room enough in that bed for the both of us at the moment."

"There was room enough for both of us last week," she said with a small smirk and held out the corner of the blanket while she shifted over to one side. Charles climbed into bed and wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as was physically possible, just to reassure himself that she was still there with him.

"Charles," came Elsie's muffled voice. "You're smothering me!"

"Sorry," he loosened his embrace as she settled her head in the crook of his neck and clasped her arm across his chest. Her body was still shivering a bit when he first climbed into the bed but soon he felt her hands and feet begin to warm and he could hear the soft even breathing of her sleep.

Charles' thoughts were drifting as he wondered what would happen tomorrow when he finally had to face his Lordship about the fact that they were married. He hoped that they would be allowed to retain their positions as they both considered Downton home, after all these years. He finally decided that he would just have to plead his case to his Lordship and hope for the best.

His hand had come to rest at the base of Elsie's neck and he discovered that his fingers were playing with the silver chain that he'd given her on their wedding day. He carefully slid the chain out from under her nightgown to examine the objects hanging from it – two simple golden bands glowed in the lamplight. He wrapped his other hand around the rings and rubbed the larger of the two absently with his thumb thinking back to the day they had purchased the rings.

_**A/N2: I REALLY do appreciate your insightful reviews! **_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Disclaimer: As much as I love them, they still don't belong to me – I'm just playing with them! :-)**_

Charles lay awake holding Elsie and listening to her soft even breathing. He stared off into the distance, absentmindedly rubbing his wedding band with his thumb while the memories of the day that they purchased the bands flickered through his mind.

-o _O_ o-

_They'd managed to get a half day off at the same time so he hitched up the horse and wagon so that they could travel to Ripon. Though he and Elsie had been 'involved' romantically for several years now, he still enjoyed the activities that would allow them to spend time together outside of Downton. He especially liked to use the wagon on these trips because the short bench seat forced her to sit rather close to him and their arms and legs would come in contact when the wagon lurched in the track sending small tingles up and down his spine. He also liked it when she would snuggle up to his side and rest her head on the outside of his shoulder when they were alone on the road or after dusk had fallen making it difficult for anyone else to see what they were doing. _

_He could hardly contain his excitement this particular afternoon as he had a specific purpose for the trip. He planned to take her to the city park for an afternoon picnic tea so that he could ask her to marry him. Elsie had never required a commitment from him and had never even mentioned getting married but he so wanted it for himself. He just couldn't imagine his life or his future without her._

_They arrived in Ripon and parked the wagon near their favorite spot at the city park – the rose garden. He reached into the back of the wagon and took out a large quilt and a small picnic basket. _

"_Charles, what is all this?" Elsie asked when she had turned around to face him._

_He smiled down at her and kissed her lightly on the forehead, "I just thought we might enjoy the good weather and have a little picnic tea, if that's alright with you?"_

_She smiled up at him shyly and tucked her arm through his, he was feeling quite proud of the fact that she seemed impressed with his idea. They settled on a warm spot in the sunlight near the rosebushes whose perfume traveled on the breeze. He spread out the quilt and they both flopped down like children and stretched out with their heads near one another. He found if he turned his head, he could just plant a small kiss near her temple making her giggle. _

"_Are you hungry?"_

"_I'm starving," she replied sitting up quickly and opening the picnic basket. She unpacked fruit and cheese followed by some cold roast beef and a large piece of chocolate cake. She held the piece of cake up and raised a skeptical eyebrow at him._

"_What?" he grinned at her, "I thought I might need to keep my energy up for the trip home."_

_She set the cake off to the side and reached in to take out the napkins and silver and discovered a bottle of wine and two crystal glasses at the bottom of the basket. "Charles Carson! Cake and wine? What are you up to now?"_

_He sat up and took the wine bottle from her and then rummaged around in the bottom of the basket for his corkscrew. He uncorked the bottle and wrapped it with one of the linen napkins and proceeded to pour them each a glass. He tipped his glass to hers and said, "Today is a very special occasion. Elsie Hughes, I wondered if you would do me the honor of becoming my wife."_

_Elsie choked on her wine and almost sprayed the front of her dress she was so surprised. "What did you say?" she asked as he dabbed at her dripping chin with a napkin. _

"_Well…the truth is Elsie, you've become such a part of who I am and being with you these past few years has made me so happy." He then rose to one knee and took her hand in his, "When remembering my past, I am sorry that I didn't tell you that I loved you sooner…my present only has meaning because you love me…and when I imagine my future, you are there by my side. Elsie, please marry me!"_

_He grew concerned as she seemed to have stopped breathing and just sat there staring at him. "Elsie? Please say something…anything!"_

"_But Charles, we can't get married," she whispered when she was finally able to breathe. "We'll lose our jobs and we'll have to leave Downton."_

"_I don't care! We'll find a way to make it work," he said emphatically, "We'll just have to move to another town." He looked at her imploringly, waiting for her answer. _

"_Yes Charles, I'll marry you," she finally said with wide eyes. _

"_Oh, thank God," he reached over and slid his hand behind her neck and pulled her closer. His lips covered hers in what started out as a tender kiss but soon became more passionate. Two women were walking in the park, "Scandalous!" hissed one of them loudly as they passed by. Charles and Elsie broke apart sheepishly having forgotten where they were. He quickly packed everything back into the picnic basket and lifted Elsie to her feet. _

"_What's the hurry?" she asked feeling a bit put out with his rushing her._

"_There's one more stop we need to make before we head back to Downton."_

_He stowed the basket and the blanket in the back of the wagon and took hold of Elsie's hand as he headed down the main street. They came to a stop in front of the jeweler's shop. Charles looked lovingly down at her, "I want you to help pick out the wedding bands."_

"_Charles, I think we need to slow down a little," she placed her hand on his arm to prevent him from entering the shop. "I'm guessing that neither one of us really 'wants' to leave Downton." _

_He just shook his head silently. _

"_Well, I was thinking that nothing really needs to change after we get married. We could just go along as we have and nobody needs to be the wiser."_

"_Okay, but I don't think I understand. Why don't you want to go with me to pick out our wedding bands?" he asked._

"_I guess it's because it seems like we'll never be able to wear them."_

_He stopped to think for a few minutes, "Well…we'd be able to wear them when we go out to places like this, where no one knows us. We'd be able to wear them when we're alone together in your parlor or my pantry."_

"_And what happens when we forget to take them off?"_

"_Elsie, you're just being difficult. I don't know how but we'll manage. I want to give you a ring 'as a token of my love' and one day, we WILL be able to wear them and they will show the world that we belong to each other!"_

_He wasn't sure exactly what he'd said that made her change her mind but he was certainly glad she did and that's how they found themselves standing at the counter in the jeweler's shop looking at wedding bands. Charles had the jeweler showing them all sorts – gold and silver, carved and jeweled. She finally covered his hand with hers to get his attention and looked him directly in the eye. _

"_Charles, I'm marrying you because I love you…not because you want to buy me a fancy piece of jewelry. You asked me what I want and I'm telling you that all I want is a simple gold band. It's what my mother had and it is what I want."_

-o _O_ o-

Elsie stirred just then and brought him back to reality. He tucked the bands back inside the neck of her nightgown as he softly rubbed her back and whispered soothing words in her ear.

"I love you, Charles," she murmured in her sleep as she snuggled just a bit closer.

Charles decided right then and there that it didn't matter what happened with his Lordship in the morning. Elsie was his love and his life and they would stay together no matter what the outcome, they would find a way to make it work.

_**A/N2: The reviews have been great and I'm very pleased that ya'll are enjoying the story so much!**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: This is a short chapter so I'll see if I can get the next one revised and posted later tonight as well.**_

_**Disclaimer: They all belong to Mr. Fellowes – and I'm just playing with them again….still? ;-)**_

Charles awoke at four o'clock that morning as was their habit when sharing a bed together. The early hour gave them enough time to return to their own rooms before the rest of the staff were up and around.

He glanced down at Elsie's upturned face resting on his chest, her features relaxed in slumber. Every day he awoke with her in his arms he thanked his lucky stars. He lightly kissed the top of her forehead before trying to slide out of her embrace.

Her arms tightened around him as she snuggled into his chest and murmured, "What time is it?"

"Just after four o'clock, my dear."

Her eyes flew open as she tried to sit up in the bed. He ran his hands soothingly up her sides as he gently pulled her back into his arms. "Shush now, woman. Dr. Clarkson has ordered bed rest for you for this next week. I thought that if I went downstairs early, I could get organized for the day and then come back to you in time to have breakfast together."

"I should go back to my own room though, Charles."

"Well, I'm not sure that it matters much anymore," he said looking everywhere but at her.

She raised her head up off his shoulder, grabbing his chin to turn his head and look directly into his eyes. "Charles Carson, what do you mean, it doesn't matter much anymore?"

"I was so worried when you collapsed in the garden that all I could think about was getting you upstairs and into bed. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly and I brought you straight to my room. Dr. Clarkson was here," Charles paused and then quickly mumbled, "and his Lordship came in to see how you were doing."

"His Lordship! His Lordship saw me in my nightgown, wrapped up in _your_ blankets, in _your_ bed!" Elsie was completely mortified at the thought.

Based on her reaction, Charles thought it best not to mention that he'd also told his Lordship about their marriage. "Yes, he did and I'm quite sure that he'll want to speak to me about it later today. But until then, I've got to keep this household running and I'm not going to be able to accomplish that if you keep me in bed with you all day as well," teased Charles, trying to coax her into a better mood. Elsie looked at him skeptically as he kissed her lightly and climbed out of bed to get ready for his day.

"I really do think it would be better if I went back to my own room," Elsie started to stand up and sat back down abruptly when a wave of dizziness overtook her.

Charles rushed to her side and eased her back under the covers. "That's it, you're staying right where you are, woman! At least for today, and _no_ arguments." After he tucked the covers in around her, he turned back to the wardrobe to finish dressing.

Elsie propped herself up on the pillows so that she could watch him get dressed. It was not all that often that they spent both the nights and the mornings together but after this many years, she had managed to memorize his routine. First he would remove his pyjamas and sit on his chair in his undershorts to put on his socks. It kept the creases out of his trousers, he had explained. She admired the way the muscles played across his chest, more than thirty years of standing in parlors and dining rooms, smoothly carrying trays at waist or chest level had him looking very fine indeed for a man of his age. Next it was his undershirt and trousers, then he would stand and put on his shoes one at a time using the chair to prop up his foot to tie the laces. Then came the starched white shirt, collar and tie.

He had just started to button up his shirt when she spoke again, "Bring your collar and tie over here."

He brought the collar and tie over and set them on the table next to the bed and settled close to her, "I think I need a bit of help with my shirt as well," he whispered, slipping his hands around her waist to settle low on her back. He pressed his lips to her temple as she cocked her head to finish doing up his buttons. There were a couple of buttons in the space above his undershirt and she bent down to place a soft kiss on his chest and the hollow of his neck before fastening each of the buttons. She couldn't help but feel a little triumphant when he shivered and uttered a small moan at the touch of her lips.

She reached over, picked up his collar and fastened it around his neck. As she reached around to check that it was tucked properly at the back, she stopped at his right ear and kissed him gently on the earlobe.

Charles pulled her closer and whispered, "You certainly are a distraction this morning." He then kissed her slowly and passionately. "I don't think that Dr. Clarkson would consider this 'complete bed rest'."

Elsie sighed and snuggled into his chest, "I guess you'd better hand me your tie then." She could feel the delicious rumble in his chest as he chuckled and reached over to retrieve the tie. She whimpered her disappointment as she pulled away from him and finished doing up his tie. Her hands came to rest on his chest, she looked up at him with wide eyes, "I'm sorry that I've been such a bother."

"Elsie, my girl," he said looking down at her lovingly, "you're never a bother, most certainly a distraction and a welcome one at that, but never a bother." He chucked her under the chin and stood to tuck in his shirt and put on his waistcoat and jacket.

When he'd finished dressing, he sat on the edge of the bed and gently drew her into his arms again. "Humor an old man? I was so worried that I would lose you last night, please stay here and promise me that you'll try to eat properly and rest as much as you can?"

It pained Elsie's heart to see the pleading look in his eyes. All she could do was nod her head and hug him tight. "That's my girl, give us another kiss to get through the morning and I'll be back as soon as I can."

_**A/N2: Reviews are great things – Let me know your opinions!**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: I hope that ya'll are still enjoying the story and that I'm doing justice to our own little AU.**_

_**Disclaimer: They all belong to Mr. Fellowes and I make no claims. **_

Lord Grantham was sitting in his study after breakfast considering the events of last night. Carson had been his same imperturbable self throughout the meal. Robert wondered how in the world the man could maintain his composure given that he had no staff to assist with his duties, he now no longer had Mrs. Hughes…his _wife_…to fill the gap and now there was the added stress of not knowing how his employer was going to react to his sudden revelation last evening.

"Exactly how _does_ his employer feel," grumbled Robert to himself. After all the years of dealing with the problems of the estate, working with the town council and his tenants, he quickly learned to separate his feelings on the issues at hand from the need to make a sound decision. But why was it that he couldn't seem to separate himself from this situation.

He'd lain awake most of the night thinking about it. The one question that kept coming back to him time and again was – Why did they feel that they couldn't come to him and tell him? He'd always had a good working relationship with Carson, or so he'd thought. Whenever there was an issue with the household or with the house itself, he and Carson would discuss what needed to be done and he generally found himself in support of whatever Carson recommended.

Suddenly a light went on in the back of his mind. Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes were the very reason that Robert was such a successful landlord and leader of Downton Abbey. Because Mr. Carson and Mrs. Hughes dealt so efficiently and effectively with the issues of the house, the staff and in some ways, his own family, he had been able to concentrate his efforts on the estate and the community itself.

And yet somehow they had managed to find each other, to carve out time to build a relationship and to keep it a secret from the rest of the staff and the family. Well, from most of the family he thought as his conversation with Cora last night came back to him. He chuckled to himself and wondered if perhaps others had been observant enough to guess at the relationship between the butler and the housekeeper.

Having settled his thoughts and feelings, it was very easy to make his decision on how to deal with the matter at hand. He was just about to ring for the butler when the man himself walked through the door.

"Carson, there's something that I need to discuss with you," began his Lordship as Carson delivered the morning post. "How long have you and Mrs. Hughes…err…Mrs. Carson been married?"

"Just about six years now, Sir," replied Carson as he stood stiffly at attention next to the desk in his Lordship's study.

Lord Grantham considered this information for several long minutes before getting to his feet, "Come take a walk with me Mr. Carson."

Charles knew that it was his Lordship's habit to take long walks on the estate whenever something was bothering him, helped him clear his mind he had said. But never in all his years at Downton Abbey had Charles been asked to accompany him. They headed north out of the side door of the study towards the stables.

The silence seemed to become unbearable to Charles so he took a chance and started the conversation. "I…I'm sorry if Elsie and I have placed your Lordship in an awkward position. It was not our intent."

Robert raised his hand and Charles fell silent. "Yes, about that Carson. I always thought that we had a good working relationship."

"We do, Sir!" Charles said quickly, "I've always been able to bring to you issues with the staff or the household and you've always been supportive of my recommendations."

"Then what changed?"

Charles hung his head and thought to himself. "This is it…I just hope we can stay long enough for Elsie to get well."

They had come to a halt just outside the main stable gate. Charles decided that he would have only one chance to plead his case, "Sir, that's just it. We didn't want _anything_ to change. We both think very highly of you and her Ladyship and we appreciate the trust and authority that you have placed in both of us. We knew that it would be extremely difficult to find employment elsewhere that would match our situation here at Downton and so…we chose not to disclose our marriage."

Robert was quietly pleased that the couple seemed to hold himself and Lady Cora in such high esteem. "It must have been extremely difficult for you to keep your secret with the staff."

"It wasn't always easy, but we managed." Charles paused and went on, "And given the opportunity, we will continue to manage. You'll see no changes to the efficient running of your household. You have my word on that, Sir."

"Of that, I have no doubt. And it is because of the effective and efficient way in which your run our household that I have decided to support Lady Cora's recommendation."

Charles looked at him quizzically. Robert laughed, "Please don't tell me that in six years of marriage you haven't at least once determined that it would be in your best interest to just acquiesce to your wife's wishes."

"Once or twice perhaps," responded Charles with a knowing smile.

"Yes, well, in this instance I just so happen to agree with my wife. Neither of us can imagine how this household would run without you… without the two of you _together_."

Charles let out the breath that he was holding in a huge sigh of relief, "Thank you, your Lordship. Elsie…Mrs. Carson will be pleased to hear that."

"You mean she may not be quite so angry with you for letting the cat of the bag?" Robert said with a quirked eyebrow.

"There's that too," chuckled Charles feeling more relaxed than he had since they'd left the main house.

Robert walked over to the old groom's cottage next door to the stables. The place had been empty since Mr. Laughton's wife died. He decided that he didn't like living alone and had moved into the barracks atop the stables with the other stable hands. Allowed him to keep a closer eye on his staff, he said.

"Lady Cora was also concerned that you and Mrs. Hu…._Carson_ should be able to live as a married couple below stairs. I thought we could knock out a few walls but her Ladyship insists that you still would not have adequate privacy."

"Please, sir…" began Charles. "Mrs. Carson and I will be quite comfortable where we are."

"I'll tell you now, her Ladyship won't hear a word of it and then it would be _my_ neck on the line," chuckled Robert. "Actually, Carson…" he said raising his hands in surrender. "We will make a few revisions below stairs so that you can be comfortable when it would be required for you to remain at the main house but Cora and I would like to offer you the groom's cottage as your private residence, if you'd like."

Charles just stood with his mouth hanging slightly open in surprise.

Robert continued, "As you well know, we don't have the manpower available to do a complete renovation at the moment but I will arrange for the materials and equipment if you'd like to take on the task yourself. You can use a couple of the stable boys when they're available to help."

Charles reached out and took the key that was dangling from his Lordship's hand. "I don't know what to say, Sir."

"Consider it…_additional_ _compensation_ for the extraordinary effort both you and Mrs. Carson put forth to keep my household running smoothly."

"Thank you, Sir." Charles was still a bit flabbergasted but managed to get out, "Sir? I'd like to keep this as surprise for Els…Mrs. Carson, for when she's back on her feet."

"I'm pretty certain Cora has already shared the news with the rest of the family but I will ask that they help keep your secret. Hopefully, they've been leaving Mrs. Carson to rest and have not been below stairs yet to spread the news. I'll see what I can do." He turned on his heel and headed back towards the main house.

Charles stood outside the cottage staring down at the key lying in his hand. Their own private residence, they'd never dared dream that they would ever have a place of their own. They always assumed that when the time came, they would 'go out,' each in their own time, but still managing their staff and the household right up to the very end. He turned the key in the lock and stepped into the cottage, imagining what it would be like to carry his Elsie over the threshold.

_**A/N2: I expect ya'll to let me know when I'm getting too far off bas - so be sure to speak up in your reviews - or forever hold your peace! ;-)**_


	8. Chapter 8

Carson stood in the gloom of the empty cottage and looked around. There was an old trestle table sitting in the middle of the room with an oil lamp on it. He checked and found there was still a bit of oil in the bottom so he pulled a match from the pocket in his waistcoat and lit the lamp. It was a fairly large sized room with a stone fireplace at one end. A small kitchen had been created in one corner with a small cast iron stove, a coldbox and a sink for doing the washing up. A sideboard stood against one wall between the kitchen corner and the fireplace.

He walked through a door at the far end and found himself in a smaller room that he surmised was the bedroom although there was no furniture to indicate its use. A second door led from this room into a moderately sized bathroom with a sink, toilet and large claw-footed bathtub. He turned the taps and although the pipes rattled and the water was a bit murky, there was hot and cold running water to both the bathtub and the sink.

There was a lot of dust and a few cobwebs decorating the place since it hadn't been used in several years but other than a few loose floorboards and a broken shelf that he noticed out in the kitchen area, there didn't appear to be much needed to make the place livable.

Suddenly a voice rang out from the front room, "Hullo? Anyone there?"

Walking back into the main room, he saw Mr. Laughton standing just inside the door with a large truncheon in his hand. "Oh, it's you Mr. Carson," he said lowering his weapon.

"And you were expecting?" said a surprised Carson who had raised his hands up to show he was unarmed.

"Well, you never know these days. When I saw the cottage door open I was concerned. I know that none of my stable boys should have been in here," referring to his staff of stablemen, "I wasn't expecting anyone down from the main house, that's for certain."

"Well, his Lordship asked me to accompany him down here." Charles was at a loss as to how to explain the situation. This had been Mr. Laughton's home with his wife for so many years. He was certain that his Lordship had not had a chance to discuss his decision with the old groom. Not that his Lordship was required to explain any of his decisions or the assignment of his properties to his staff or tenants. But Charles felt sure that, had his Lordship had more time to consider the situation, he would have spoken to Mr. Laughton.

Charles did some fast thinking about whether or not he should wait for his Lordship to initiate the conversation. He knew that his only chance to work on the cottage would be while Elsie was confined to bed in the servant's quarters. Knowing his beloved but exceptionally hard-headed wife, she wasn't likely to stay there for an entire week therefore, he decided he didn't have that kind of time and after all, his Lordship had already given him the key.

"Mr. Laughton," began Charles. "There may be a bit of gossip running through the house regarding Mrs. Hughes and myself."

"I do believe that there was a bit of a stir in the kitchens this morning when young Robbie and I went up to pick up some supplies from Mrs. Patmore. Something about Mrs. Hughes sleeping in the men's quarters but I didn't put much stock in the matter knowing Mrs. Hughes and yourself." Mr. Laughton fell silent and studied the floorboards.

"Yes…well...what the household staff is unaware of at the moment is that Mrs. Hughes and I were married almost six years ago." Charles pulled himself up to his full height as he continued, "They will be apprised of the situation fully upon my return to the house this afternoon but in the meantime…." his voice trailed off.

"In the meantime? Mr. Carson?" asked Mr. Laughton.

"In the meantime, his Lordship has seen fit to allow us to stay in service here at Downton…and he has offered the groom's cottage to Mrs. Hughes…_Elsie_… and myself, to use as a private residence." Charles softened his demeanor as he glanced over at the man who had spent the majority of his married life living in this very cottage. "Will it bother you that another couple, that _we_ would be living in the cottage?"

Mr. Laughton scraped at the floorboards with the toe of his boot for a few moments before replying, "Elsie Hughes is a fine woman. Even asked if she would consider walking-out with me a few years back, now I know why she said no."

Charles raised an eyebrow in surprise. Elsie had never said anything about it to him. He kept silent waiting for the other man to continue.

"Not long afterwards, I realized that I asked only because I was feeling lonely. Standing here now, I realize that my life in this cottage with my Maura was a very happy one but maybe it is time for someone else to make it their home." Mr. Laughton shook himself from his reverie and held out his hand to Charles, "Let me offer my congratulations to you and Mrs. Carson."

Mr. Laughton glanced around the cottage, "Could do with a bit of sprucing up I suppose, you know how the women folk are about clean floors and keeping the dust out. If there's anything I can do to help with the cottage, you need only ask."

"I appreciate that Mr. Laughton," sighed Charles in relief as he looked around, "The big question is where to start."

"It looks like there's been a bit of a leak in the roof in the corner over there by the fireplace, my boys can get that fixed in a jiffy. Might I suggest that you have a couple of the housemaids come down and give the place a good cleaning and then you and I will be able to assess any repairs that may need doing?"

"I can send Anna and Daisy down first thing in the morning," Charles replied wondering how he was going to keep the household running and more importantly, how was he going to keep Elsie in the dark.

-o _O_ o-

Charles could hear the chatter of the staff from the back door as he headed down the hallway. By the time he entered the staff dining room a blanket of silence fell over the group, much as it had at breakfast this morning. Daisy entered from the kitchen followed by Mrs. Patmore to serve the mid-day meal. He motioned for them to continue as he stood at the head of the table.

"You might as well have your luncheon while I make my announcements. I know that there's been a lot of speculation about the relationship between myself and Mrs. Hughes…especially in light of the events of last night." His tone of voice brooked no interruptions. "I would like to inform you that Mrs. Hughes and I were married," he paused to look around the room so that he could gage their reactions, "six years ago come October."

He caught Mr. Bates and Anna exchanging a knowing look and smug smiles while the rest of the staff just looked up in surprise. Mr. Bates reached across the corner of the table to shake his hand in congratulations.

"Thank you, Mr. Bates," said Charles as he sank down into his chair. "I'd like to ask a favor of all of you if you don't mind. I've not told Elsie…Mrs. Hu…Mrs. Carson…" Anna reached over to pat his hand in support as he struggled with what to call his wife in front of the staff at the moment. "I've not told Mrs. Carson yet that everyone now knows that we are husband and wife and I'd like to keep her in the dark for a little while longer."

Miss O'Brien and Mrs. Patmore's eyes became as wide as saucers at his request. It wasn't like Mr. Carson to deceive someone especially if that someone was Mrs. Hughes.

"There is a reason for the subterfuge," he said motioning with his hands to calm them down. "His Lordship has decided that we may stay on at Downton and has offered the use of the groom's cottage as a private residence. I've spoken with Mr. Laughton and he's agreed to assist me with any repairs that need doing but I could really use some help from Anna and Daisy if you don't mind?"

They both look at him expectantly. "The place could use an expert cleaning and there's both a stone fireplace and kitchen stove that will need cleaning and checking to make sure that we don't burn the place down the first time we set a fire going," he chuckled with a wry grin on his face.

That seemed to break the tension in the room and they all laughed and started talking at once. He stood up again to get their attention.

"I was hoping that they could go over first thing after breakfast in the morning, unfortunately that means more work for you Mrs. Patmore and you Miss O'Brien."

Amazingly, Miss O'Brien was the first to speak up, "Don't you worry about a thing Mr. Carson. I'm sure we'll manage just fine." Charles wasn't sure what to make of it but he wasn't about to look a gift-horse in the mouth.

"That's right," chimed in Mrs. Patmore, "As a matter of fact I have a favor to ask of you Mr. Carson." She disappeared into the kitchen and returned with a covered tray. "Perhaps you wouldn't mind taking this tray upstairs and having lunch with your wife this afternoon?" she said with a wink and a smile.

"I'd be delighted, Mrs. Patmore!" he grinned taking the tray from her and heading up the stairs.

_**A/N: Sounds like everyone is still enjoying the story. I hope I can keep you going just a bit longer!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews! You'll just have to keep reading to see exactly who might be "stirring things up!" ;-)**_

_**Disclaimer: Just to make sure it doesn't get missed – everything belongs to ITV and Mr. Fellowes – except for this storyline!**_

He let himself into the room and saw Elsie asleep in his bed. He placed the tray on top of his dresser and knelt down beside her. Over the years, he found that he liked to watch her when she slept. She looked so beautiful with her features so relaxed – no stress wrinkling her brow or causing her to frown. He traced her brow with his fingertips following them with light butterfly kisses that trailed down to her nose and then her chin. He failed to notice the fluttering of her eyelids as she roused from sleep. Suddenly he found that he couldn't move because she had hold of his tie.

"Charles," she said drowsily, "if you're going to kiss me, kiss me properly." With that she pulled him down and pressed her lips to his. She might have sounded as though she was still half asleep but her kiss was definitely wide awake as her tongue traced his lips and slipped teasingly into his mouth. He groaned loudly in mock exasperation as he pulled back after a few delicious moments to lean on his heels.

"You_ are_ quite the distraction today and I am absolutely certain that Dr. Clarkson would not approve!" He grinned down at her, "I have brought you sustenance, wife!" He stood up and brought the tray over and set it on the chair. Then he motioned for her to scoot over to the edge of the bed so that he could sit beside her propped up against the headboard.

He handed her the bowl of broth and she looked up at him in disgust. "What?" he asked, "Dr. Clarkson said that you were to have a hearty broth the first couple of days."

"But I'm actually hungry, Charles!" she exclaimed, "I want one of your sandwiches!"

"All right, all right," he said as he handed her a sandwich and they both settled down to eating.

After a few moments, he put his arm around her shoulders and kissed her on the temple, "His Lordship asked me to run an errand down to the stables this morning and I ran into Mr. Laughton." He felt Elsie stiffen beside him for just a moment. "He asked after you having heard about last night. I told him that Dr. Clarkson had determined that you would recover fully and would soon be ordering me about as usual." He said teasing her a little to see if he could get a rise out of her but when she didn't respond, "He seemed to feel the need to inform me that you were a fine woman and that he'd even once asked you to walk-out with him." When she still didn't say anything he went on, "Why did you never tell me, Elsie?"

She played with a loose thread on the quilt for a few moments while she composed her thoughts. "There wasn't much to tell. It was about three years ago. I was signing some paperwork for the stables while you were in London that season and he asked. I told him that although I was very flattered, I wasn't interested." When Charles didn't respond she went on, "Does it bother you that I didn't tell you?"

"Good lord, no!" replied Charles, "It just came as a bit of a surprise, not that someone else would be interested, just that he plucked up the courage to ask."

She looked up at him with a frown, "What do you mean by that?"

"I just mean that most of the household staff consider you to be the 'Scottish Dragon' so it just surprised me that someone would ask…" he trailed off as her scowl deepened.

"Who called me the 'Scottish Dragon'?" she said testily.

At that, Charles broke into a hearty laugh knowing that he was now off the hook. "I've got to get back downstairs before the inmates take over the prison, my dear," he said smiling down at her as he stood to pick up the tray. He moved the teapot and her cup over to the bedside table. "Do you want me leave some of these sandwiches for you?"

"Maybe just one and a couple of the biscuits, please." She motioned for him to bend down as she took hold of his tie once more and pulled him in for a kiss. "Will I see you before dinner?"

"Not likely with Lady Violet and Mrs. Crawley still in the house. I suspect that they'll spend most of the evening gossiping about what happened last night but too polite to ask me outright," he laughed. "I'll be up as soon after dinner as I can. Is there anything that I can have Anna or Daisy bring up for you?"

"Well…." She pouted, "Since I can't have you, maybe you could find me something to read from his Lordship's library?"

"I'll check with one of the girls and see if there's anything that they've read recently that's worth a look. Rest well, my love, and I'll be back before you know it to keep the shivers away." He winked and closed the door.

-o _O_ o-

At one point in the afternoon, Charles came out of his pantry to consult with Mrs. Patmore on the evening meal and found Anna and Daisy readying buckets and cleaning supplies by the backdoor.

"Getting ready for tomorrow morning?" he asked.

"Actually, Sir," replied Anna, we thought we might go down and make a start on it this afternoon.

Charles raised a questioning eyebrow, "What about your chores upstairs?"

"They are done," she said.

"_Really_," said Charles skeptically using his deepest, most somber tone of voice.

"Really, Mr. Carson," giggled Anna, "I went up straight away this afternoon and Lady Mary, Lady Edith and Lady Sybil were all dressing each other and fixing their hair. Apparently, Lady Sybil had come downstairs to see how Daisy was getting on and found out that we were planning to go over to clean the cottage in the morning." Charles gave her a skeptical look as he quirked an eyebrow at her.

"In the meantime, they've all three decided that they'll do their own dressing and packing for the engagement party over in Harrogate this weekend. Lady Mary informed me that if they need anything at all, they'll call on Miss O'Brien and so my 'services will not be needed for the rest of the day if I want to make an early start on the cottage'…" Anna quoted Lady Mary with a rueful smile.

"Mrs. Hughes wouldn't have allowed…" began Charles.

"That's why I'm glad that Mrs. _Carson_ is the housekeeper and not me," she said smiling up at him. "By the way, the young Ladies are upstairs in the front parlor with their mother, Lady Violet and Mrs. Crawley planning the décor for the cottage. If you don't want lace and ruffles everywhere, you'd better get up there right away."

A look of panic crossed Charles face as he turned and headed upstairs to the parlor. Anna and Daisy broke into peals of laughter as they went out the back door.

-o O o-

Charles arrived in the parlor to find the ladies surrounded by scraps of material and at least a dozen different bits and pieces of lace.

"Oh Mr. Carson, you're just in time," exclaimed Mrs. Crawley jumping up from her seat with several swatches of material in her hand. "We've been discussing the material for the bedroom in the cottage. Lady Violet believes that a neutral palette would be best but I think something in blue or green would be preferable. What do you think Elsie would like?"

"Um…well…I'm not sure," he stammered as he scratched the back of his head which was his habit when faced with something that he definitely didn't want to confront. And a disagreement between Isobel Crawley and Lady Violet was definitely something that he didn't want to be in the middle of.

"Well now, after what is it, six years?" sniped Lady Violet, "the man should know his wife's preferences."

He was quite used to Lady Violet's strong opinions and her acid tongue but suddenly he felt that she'd gone too far. He assembled himself into his stoic butler persona and replied, "As we have never had the opportunity to decorate a residence _together_ before, I might not be the best source of information or inspiration." Lady Violet quietly snorted but remained silent on the matter.

"Actually, I was rather hoping that Mrs. Crawley might elect to have tea with Mrs. Carson tomorrow and perhaps you could find a way to determine what her preferences would be?" He looked hopefully at her.

"I'd love to, Mr. Carson. I was planning on dropping by to visit with her tomorrow around eleven anyway, would you ladies be available for luncheon afterwards and I can share what I find out." Mrs. Crawley looked pointedly at Lady Violet.

"Of course, dear!" exclaimed Lady Violet with an insincere smile.

"It's settled then," exclaimed Mrs. Crawley, "I guess I'd better go home to Crawley House this evening and check to see how Molesly and Mrs. Bird are getting on. Especially after receiving the news about Matthew." Mrs. Crawley suddenly looked sad and tired.

"I'll get your coat Mrs. Crawley," Carson said quietly and started down the hall. He waited near the door while she made her goodbyes to the family. As he assisted her in putting on her coat he said, "I want to thank you for helping out with Mrs. Carson and with the family in there. I really do appreciate it."

"Mr. Carson…Charles," she said with a small smile, "Elsie is a good friend and I would do anything for her. And as such, it would appear that you and I will be spending more time in more informal circumstances and so you must start calling me Isobel when it is _just us_."

He nodded in agreement and said quietly, "Good night, Isobel. And thank you again."

_**A/N2: Reviews are exciting and fun to read…they also let me know what parts of the story have resonated with you, the readers…so don't be afraid to speak up! **_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Been a heck of a weekend! Decided to post one more chapter tonight since it's likely that I'll only be able to post singles through the rest of the week. Enjoy!**_

_**Disclaimer: I'm going to have to develop a standard disclaimer since there are only so many "cute" ways to say – They ain't mine and I ain't makin' no money - but I'm having a grand time making up stuff about them. **_

Charles had tried to break away from the family as early as he could so that he could check on Elsie but somehow it was well after midnight by the time that he was able to climb up the back staircase to the servant's quarters. Mr. Bates had stepped in to assist with attending the family this evening but they had so many questions for Charles – the girls wanted to know all about the romance and the wedding while Lady Cora and Lady Violet nattered on about the décor and furniture for the cottage. Charles wasn't consulted much for that conversation but became sure of one thing, he did not want to be around when Mrs. Crawley relayed the details of her discussion with Elsie back to them over luncheon tomorrow. That conversation was sure to incite a battle of wills.

He opened the door to his room slowly so as not to disturb Elsie if she was asleep. He glanced over at the bed and smiled. She had propped the pillows up against the headboard so that she could read one of the books that Lady Sybil had sent. She was sound asleep and he noticed that she'd only gotten as far as the second chapter when he gently slid the book from her grasp.

He stepped over to the wardrobe to change into his pyjamas. He toed off his shoes as he worked the buttons on his jacket and waistcoat. He had removed his tie and collar and was just slipping off his shirt when he heard her voice behind him.

"I can't decide which I prefer, watching you dress or undress," she said quietly with a small smile on her face.

"If you're patient, you'll get to see both," he chuckled turning to look at her. "Once I finish undressing, you'll see me get dressed in my pyjamas," he responded to her questioning look.

She smiled and began to rearrange the pillows to make room for him in the bed. Once he slid between the covers he slipped his arms around her and settled her against his chest. "I missed seeing you around the house today," he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. "How was your afternoon?"

She stretched up to kiss the underside of his jaw, "I think I actually slept for most the afternoon. I would find myself looking over at the clock and noticing that another hour or two had passed."

"I think that's exactly what Dr. Clarkson had in mind when he ordered 'complete bed rest', my dear," said Charles trying but failing to hold back a huge yawn.

"That may be Charles but you can't do everything on your own. You can't take care of your duties as butler and temporary footman _and_ oversee the housemaids and the ladies maids," she raised her head off his chest so that she could look him in the eye and found that his eyes were closed and he was half-asleep. "Charles, are you listening?"

"Of course I am," he said as he opened his eyes and looked down at her. "His Lordship will be returning to London day after tomorrow to begin with. I also had a look at the calendar in your parlor this afternoon and her Ladyship and the girls are due to go over to Harrogate for Lady Madeleine's engagement party and will be gone from the estate for the next few days as well. Things just sometimes have a way of working out, Love."

Charles closed his eyes again as Elsie began to fidget with the buttons on his pyjama top.

"Elsie," he said with a little edge to his voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just…." she trailed off.

"You just what?"

She finally took a deep breath, "I was just wondering exactly how you're explaining this?"

"Explaining what?" he yawned again.

"Explaining why you brought me here instead of to my own room last night. Why I'm still in your room and sleeping in your bed…and…and why you're sleeping in your bed _with_ me." She finally stammered out. "I can't believe his Lordship was _here_ as witness to it and he hasn't thrown us both out on our ears!"

Charles lay so quietly beside her that Elsie thought he'd fallen asleep. Finally, he took in a deep breath and turned so that he could face her. He had been wondering exactly how much to tell her about what transpired while she was unconscious last night and decided that the truth would be his best bet.

"Elsie, his Lordship knows that we are married," Charles watched as her eyes were suddenly as wide as saucers. "Dr. Clarkson had asked me to undo the top buttons on your nightgown so that he could listen to your heart with his stethoscope."

"My nightgown! What happened to my dress…oh Charles, don't tell me that you took off my dress with the doctor and his Lordship in the room?" Elsie was mortified.

He began to rub her back in small circles in an effort to keep her calm as he tried to explain, "No, I had already removed your clothes, which were soaking wet and leaving puddles on the floor by the way." He raised an accusatory eyebrow at her as he went on, "And I had put your nightgown on you before anyone else arrived."

"I'm sorry, Charles," she whispered hoarsely burying her head in his chest. He could feel the first tears begin to dampen his pyjama top.

"What for, Elsie love?" He pushed her back so that he could look her in the face.

"For causing all this trouble…f-for getting us f-fired…" she started sobbing in earnest now.

"Shush now, you've not caused any trouble and we've not been fired," he said pulling her close and placing small kisses on her cheeks and brow. "Please let me finish."

"Al-(hic)-right," she hiccoughed in response, trying to stop the tears.

"His Lordship had come into the room and I happened to glance up and saw him looking at your wet clothes and when he turned and saw me working the buttons on your nightgown, I could see that he was jumping to conclusions in his own mind. I couldn't help myself, Elsie, I just spat it out at him. I'm the one who should be sorry, not you." He brought his forehead to hers in a gesture of supplication.

She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair just behind his ears and settled her hand on the back of his neck. "He didn't say anything or have any questions?"

"Not last night, but he had plenty of questions this morning," he said shifting so that he could tuck her head under his chin again. Another yawn took hold as he considered how to explain the walk to the stables and he decided to tell her only what she asked about.

"And…?" she asked beating her small fist lightly against his chest.

"Oomph!" he grunted playfully, taking hold of her fist and bringing it up to his lips to kiss her knuckles. "His Lordship and I had a long conversation after breakfast and he has determined that with the current state of the staff, he cannot afford to lose a butler and a housekeeper so we'll be allowed to stay at Downton.

"Really?" said Elsie doubtful but relieved that they weren't going to have to pack and leave anytime soon.

"We-e-ell, he did say something about the Scottish Dragon keeping the staff in line…Ouch! Elsie!" he cried out as she jabbed him painfully in the ribs this time.

"You deserved that, Scottish Dragon my foot!" she scowled and turned her back to him, pulling up the covers.

"Don't pout now, come on give us kiss, Love." He scooted up behind her and nuzzled the side of her neck. When she didn't respond, he started to pull away and she grabbed his hand and held him close. He yawned and snuggled up against her back, "At least make yourself useful, woman, and set the alarm on the clock and turn down the lamp."

She did as he asked and by the time she settled back into arms, he was softly snoring. She lay awake for a short while feeling the soft vibration of his snores against her back. They made her feel safe and secure and it wasn't long before she fell into a deep sleep beside him.

_**A/N2: Reviews are always welcomed and encouraged! ;-)**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: Thanks to KDN for editorial comments that I was able to put to immediate use in this chapter! ;-) **_

_**Disclaimer: Not mine…They all belong to Mr. Fellowes and ITV…and I hope they don't mind that I'm keeping myself entertained playing with them!**_

Charles woke up to find himself completely wrapped around Elsie. She had curled up into a little ball and he had one arm under her neck with his forearm across her chest and the other arm snaked low around her waist. His legs were tangled with hers and he wondered how to extricate himself without waking her up. He decided to work himself out of their knot as quietly and gently as he could and although she started to wake just as he was getting his last limb untangled, he rubbed her back and whispered that he was just off to the loo and she went right back to sleep. He dressed quickly and went downstairs to lay out the battle plans for getting the family ready to travel and finding time to work on the cottage.

Mrs. Patmore and Daisy were just bringing in breakfast when Charles arrived in the servants' dining room. He motioned for everyone to sit down, "We can talk and eat at the same time. I've been thinking about this and as Sir Anthony is fond of saying, it's going to take some 'strategic planning' to get the family ready to leave for their activities and carve out time for working on the cottage. Anna, what were you and Daisy able to accomplish yesterday afternoon?"

"We got the walls, windows and floorboards scrubbed. The stove and fireplace still need cleaning and I think it would be a good idea if one of the smaller stable boys could play chimney sweep just to be sure there are no birds nesting," she answered efficiently. "Mr. Laughton stopped in just as you said he would and noticed that the place could use a new coat of whitewash and he said he'd have his boys take care of it this morning as soon as they're done with the roof."

Mrs. Patmore spoke up then, "With the family leaving this afternoon and no formal dinner to prepare, I can spare Daisy for most of the day today. She's does a good job on my ovens when she's paying attention and I'm sure she'll have your andirons and fireplace cleaned and ready to suit as well."

"Thank you Mrs. Patmore, I really appreciate your support," acknowledged Charles looking over at Daisy who was nodding her head vigorously. That just leaves getting the ladies packed and ready. Miss O'Brien, can you and Anna get that accomplished before luncheon today as I suspect that things may get pretty lively in the dining room when Mrs. Crawley comes to luncheon with the results of her conversation with Mrs. Hugh…Mrs. Carson." Everyone around the table smiled as he stumbled over Elsie's new name, again. "Hmm, may take some getting used to, that one. Which reminds me, I've had to explain to Mrs. Carson that his Lordship knows that we're married so it wouldn't be far off the mark for her to assume that the household staff also knows so you may all begin addressing her as Mrs. Carson. Alright, if that's everyone sorted then I'll take breakfast upstairs to Mrs. _Carson_."

"Let me just wet the tea, Mr. Carson and the tray will be ready to go up," said Mrs. Patmore bustling into the kitchen.

-o _O_ o-

Elsie stretch and yawned in bed and realized that she was alone. She vaguely remembered Charles saying something about going to the loo…she really was growing a little concerned that she seemed to be sleeping so much and having trouble organizing her thoughts.

"Maybe I should try going down to the parlor," she thought to herself. "If I actually had a task that needed my full attention, maybe I could snap out of this haze." She could hear the bells begin ringing for the morning and heard Mrs. Patmore yelling for Daisy, something about cleaning the ovens.

Hearing the hustle and bustle begin below stairs set her thinking about the rest of the staff and she felt very fortunate that his Lordship was letting her and Charles remain in their positions as butler and housekeeper. She guessed that the rest of the staff now knew that she and Charles were husband and wife as well. There wasn't much that went on in this house that didn't become the topic of conversation at the servants' table in the evenings. She was also sure that if the staff had taken to gossiping about them after the events of the night of the storm, Charles would have quickly put a stop to it if only to protect her honor.

She smiled as she thought of the ways in which he tried to protect her. Having been born and raised on a farm, Elsie had been used to hard work and having to do things for herself. At first it bothered her when Charles would insist on opening doors and carrying boxes and bags for her and putting things away on the higher shelves so that she wouldn't have to go up and down the step ladder. Then he explained that it gave him pleasure to do those little things for her and so she acquiesced and allowed him to do them. She soon discovered that it gave her pleasure to see the little smile of satisfaction on his face when he completed one of these tasks for her.

Then there was interacting with the household staff. Elsie was a no-nonsense head of staff and the housemaids and ladies' maids respected her even if they didn't like her much but it didn't take new staff long to find out that as stiff and starchy as she could be, she was honest and fair and didn't play favorites. Then there was Thomas and Miss O'Brien who seemed to feel that they had the right to gossip about, and discredit anyone and everyone. Charles would usually put those two in their place by drawing himself up to his full six-feet two-inches in height and pitching his voice to its deepest timber to remind them that it was ill-advised to speak badly of their employers or their heads of staff. That would usually shut the pair of them up although they had taken to pushing the boundaries a bit just before Thomas went off to the medical corps.

Thinking of Thomas and the medical corps set Elsie to thinking about William and soon the tears were streaming down her cheeks. She wondered if his Lordship had any recent reports regarding William or his regiment. Just then the bedroom door opened and Charles entered bearing a tray, he took one look at her and set the tray down on top of the dresser and rushed over to the bed.

"Elsie, sweetheart," he said sitting close to her and pulling her into an embrace. "What's happened?"

"Nothing…in particular…I was just thinking about the _children_ and of course that includes William," she sniffled into his shoulder.

Charles fished his handkerchief out of his pocket and pushed it into her hand, "Careful with that nose or I'll be having to change my jacket soon." Elsie chuckled a bit and sat back against the headboard to blow her nose.

"Do you know if his Lordship has received any recent news about William…or his regiment?"

Charles stood to get the breakfast tray, "He hasn't said anything although I know the girls and even Anna and Mr. Bates are scouring the newspapers every morning to see if his name has appeared amongst the wounded or…well, anywhere else in the papers," he trailed off not wanting to make her feel any worse about the situation. He motioned for her to scoot over so that he could sit next to her against the headboard and placed the tray on the chair next to the bed.

He started to hand her a bowl of porridge but she just wrinkled her nose and gestured to the teapot. He continued to hold the bowl out, "Not eating isn't going to help and Dr. Clarkson was very concerned about the amount of weight you've lost. He's not going to let you out of bed until he's sure that you're eating properly."

"I'm just not sure that I can stomach it at the moment," she grimaced. "I was thinking the tea might just whet my appetite a little?" She raised an eyebrow and looked up at him hopefully.

"Don't put on that innocent face with me, woman!" started Charles as Elsie leaned her head over onto his shoulder and tried batting her eyes at him.

"Feminine wiles and fluttering eyelashes won't win me over either!" He set his chin and stared straight forward at the dresser across the room trying not to laugh. She reached up and turned his face to look at her and stuck out her bottom lip and tried out a couple of shuddering breaths as if she were about to burst into fresh tears.

"Oh, you know me too well, woman! The pout slays me every time!" he exclaimed placing his hand over his heart and kissing her on the forehead with a smile. "You may have your cup of tea love, but you must have a couple of bites of porridge while I'm pouring…please?" He raised his eyebrows at _her_ this time. She smirked and took the bowl from him in agreement.

Charles chuckled and shook his head as he reached over to remove the tea cozy and pour them both a cup. He had to admit that he was enjoying this private time with Elsie tremendously and that he was looking forward to the time they would be able to spend in this manner once they moved into the cottage.

"Isobel would like to stop by for tea around eleven o'clock this morning if you're feeling up to it," he said as he took her bowl of porridge and handed her the tea cup.

"Good lord, no!" exclaimed Elsie.

"I thought you would be looking forward to a good gossip with Isobel."

"I would, under normal circumstances but I'm confined to my bed, I haven't had a bath and my hair's a mess! I can't let her see me like this!"

"But you'll let _me_ see you like this," he laughed.

"You are my _husband_, you're supposed to love me no matter _what_ I look like," she said as she reached across him to set her teacup on the small bedside table and take back her porridge from the tray.

Charles' heart melted, 'You are my husband' he thought to himself. Four simple words but holding so much meaning. He was now VERY glad that their secret was out and they no longer had to sneak around the corridors in the middle of the night or avoid calling each other husband or wife.

"And you are my wife," he smiled over at her, "and if you feel up to a bath before Isobel arrives this morning, I think that I can arrange for Anna to come give you a hand."

"Charles Carson, I've been bathing myself for near fifty years now, I think I can manage on my own!"

He held his hands up in surrender, "I understand that but you've not been up and out of bed on your own for much except short trips down the hall...I'd just feel better if someone was on hand in case you feel ill or suffer a dizzy spell getting into or out of the bath."

"You're probably right, but Charles?" She took hold of his hand and pulled it up so that she could settle his arm around her shoulders and leaned in so that she could kiss him just below his ear. "I'd rather have you come give me a hand in the bath," she whispered breathily in his ear."

Her warm breath in his ear sent his thoughts and his blood running in directions that it really oughten to just before he had to serve upstairs. "Elsie, much as the thought alone gives me pleasure, and believe me, it _does_," he punctuated his sentence with a tender kiss, "I have to go upstairs and insure that the family is ready to leave this afternoon."

Elsie put on her best pout but it didn't seem to be having any effect on him this time.

"I'll have Anna stop by within the hour and she can help you to your room to get clean clothes and then on to the ladies bathroom for a nice soak in the tub."

She snuggled against his side and squeezed him around the waist, "But that means I won't get to see you until late again tonight."

"Don't forget that the family will be leaving immediately after lunch to spend the rest of the day, and the night, with Sir Anthony before the gentlemen return to London and the ladies go on to Harrogate. That means that you and I will be able to have dinner together tonight." He tilted his head so that he could see the expression on her face, "If it helps, I'll be sure to escort Isobel up and deliver the tea myself."

"Maybe, just a little," she said as he raised himself up to place the breakfast tray back on the dresser. He smiled and walked back over to the bed to kiss her on the forehead before leaving.

"Elsie," he said warningly as she caressed the back of his knee and started to run her hand up the back of his thigh.

"You can't blame a girl for trying," she smiled at him coyly as he headed out the door.

_**A/N2: I'm so glad to get all of your reviews and constructive criticisms…ALL are welcome!**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: And now the fun begins!**_

_**Disclaimer: I am borrowing the characters from ITV…etc. **_

Charles arrived in the hall outside the servants' dining room with Mrs. Crawley just as Mrs. Patmore came out of the kitchens bearing a tray with a few sandwiches, a bowl of soup, a plate of biscuits and a very large pot of tea.

"Mrs. Crawley will be having lunch upstairs with the ladies later this afternoon," said Charles with a puzzled expression on his face.

"Yes, but poor Mrs. Carson only finished about half of her breakfast this morning and I thought that maybe Mrs. Crawley would be a good influence and be able to coax her into eating more for her lunch," responded Mrs. Patmore handing him the tray.

"I'll try my best, Mrs. Patmore," said Mrs. Crawley with an understanding smile.

Charles turned and led the way up the backstairs to the servant's quarters. He explained to Isobel that this was the men's hallway and that she should be escorted anytime that she were to come up here although he thought it likely that this would be her only visit to this side of the hall.

He knocked lightly on the door before opening it and calling out, "Elsie, I come bearing gifts and a friend." He set the tea tray down on the dresser before turning to face her and was glad that he did as he heard the hitch in his own chest as she took his breath away.

After her bath, she dressed in his favorite – a navy blue skirt with a light blue blouse which she chose to wear with the sleeves turned back and open at the neck. She had washed her hair and pulled it up in the front with the rest braided over her shoulder. Small ringlets were forming around her face and the back of her neck as her hair dried. Her teasing this morning had him staring at her exposed collarbone feeling the urge to kiss her on that spot or perhaps even leave behind a little nip. He recovered quickly, clearing his throat and taking the carpetbag that Isobel had brought up and placing it at the foot of the bed.

Isobel went to sit beside Elsie as they both burst into tears and fell into a hug. Charles just watched as the two exchanged condolences about Matthew and William. Eventually, they broke apart and pulled out handkerchiefs to blow their noses. He took this opportunity to clear the bedside table so that he could set the tea tray nearer the bed.

"I'll just leave the two of you to visit and I'll be back in an hour to see how the tea is holding out," as he leaned down to kiss Elsie on the cheek, he whispered, "You look beautiful." He caught her eye with a meaningful look as he stood to leave the room and she blushed all the way up to the roots of her hair.

Isobel couldn't have missed or ignored the exchange even if she wanted to but it did do her heart good to see the obvious affection that the two had for each other.

"I saw that," said Isobel playfully.

"What, my husband kissing me on the cheek when he said goodbye?"

"I saw the look he gave you and you blush so beautifully," she laughed as Elsie glared at her. "But why did you never tell me, I thought we were becoming such close friends?"

"I think it's just become second nature _not_ to tell anyone. I'm sorry if I've hurt your feelings…"

"Not really," said Isobel, "besides, I always suspected there was more between the two of you than meets the eye."

"What gave me away?" asked Elsie with genuine curiosity.

"It wasn't you who gave it away…" Isobel paused cocking an eyebrow at Elsie, "it was Charles."

"I'm surprised, but how?...or _what_ might be the better question," Elsie asked reaching over to pour the tea.

Isobel accepted her cup and went on, "It's the little things really, he is always so solicitous about holding the door for you or taking a tray from you if his hands are empty. The bit that sealed it for me was coming out into the hall one afternoon and finding him watching you walking down the hallway. I tell you Elsie, if a man were watching me with the same look that Charles had in his eye that day…"

"Isobel!" exclaimed Elsie as she blushed furiously.

Isobel laughed and took a sip of her tea. "You on the other hand seemed so oblivious to his attentions. I wondered how you could not know and not fall madly in love with him. He's so tall and ruggedly handsome, and that voice! If I thought that I could get him to look at me that way…"

"Yes, yes…well, I'm not ready to be rid of him quite yet," chuckled Elsie.

"Well, if you ever decide, hmm?" she said with a faint smile. "I did come to see you for a reason, two reasons actually. The first has already been fulfilled seeing that you are indeed alright and on the road to recovery. The second is that I need your help."

"Help with what?"

"I'd like to redecorate Matthew's bedroom and the sunroom at Crawley House for when he's finally able to come home. I mentioned it to Cousin Cora and the girls but they of course think that everything should be covered with ruffles, lace and satin trim."

"What are Matthew's tastes? Does he have a favorite color?"

"He likes blue, dark blue so I thought I might do his bedroom in shades of blue with burgundy accents. But the sunroom is a different story. _I'm_ going to have to live with the sunroom so I thought maybe you could help me pick out a good mix that wasn't too masculine or too frilly," said Isobel reaching for the carpetbag to pull out scraps of material and trim.

-o O o-

After finishing the packing and settling the ladies down in the front parlor for morning tea, Anna made her way down to the cottage to check in with Daisy and found a beehive of activity. As she approached she could see two young men up on the roof replacing the thatching on one corner while another appeared to be cleaning the chimney. Inside the cottage was the smell of fresh whitewash and there was Daisy sat in the middle of the fireplace wiping soot from her face.

"What happened," cried Anna as she grabbed a rag from the cleaning bucket and ran over to help Daisy to her feet.

"I was just telling Jacob where I saw the bird's nest in the chimney when he knocked it loose and it fell on my head," said Daisy innocently, eyes standing in stark contrast to her soot covered face.

Just then Mr. Laughton walked in, "I think your best bet is to take her out to the pump in front of the stables and rinse the soot out of her hair and wash her face." He tried not to laugh as the young girl's eyes filled up with tears of embarrassment. I'll just go check to see how my boys are making out with the whitewash in the bedroom.

Anna finished rinsing Daisy off and they stepped back into the cottage to finish sweeping out the fireplace and gather their mops and buckets. "Everything looks clean and tidy from here," said Anna with her hands on her hips as she looked around the main room.

Mr. Laughton returned and said, "The boys are about done with the whitewash and everything should be ready for moving in furniture starting tomorrow."

"Her Ladyship and Lady Violet told Mrs. Crawley this morning that Mr. and Mrs. Carson would be welcome to anything in the way of linens or furniture that's stored in the attic. I think that Mr. Carson and Mrs. Crawley are planning to go up there later this afternoon to see what they can find. The only fly in the ointment that I can think of is that I don't remember seeing a marriage bed up there."

"A marriage bed?" questioned Mr. Laughton.

Anna blushed, "That's what my mum calls a bed large enough for a married couple to sleep together in. The only beds that I remember seeing the last time I was up there are the children's beds that were Lady Edith's and Lady Sybil's."

Mr. Laughton thoughtfully rubbed his chin with his index finger for a few moments, "You tell Mrs. Crawley not to let Carson worry too much about not finding a bed. Tell her that I have a solution that I think she will approve of."

-o O o-

"Alright, no ruffles or lace but I'll look for lavenders and lilacs with sage green trims to bring the garden indoors to Matthew. How very poetic of you, Elsie," laughed Isobel.

"I think I read that somewhere in one of the ladies journals," Elsie tried to smile but was overtaken by a very large yawn. Charles came through the door about then.

Isobel looked up and gave him a rueful smile, "I think I've worn the poor thing out. She's yawning and trying so very hard to stay awake."

"I see you managed to talk her into finishing her soup and eating half a sandwich for which I am very grateful," replied Charles as Elsie shot him a threatening look.

Isobel rose from the chair and leaned over to give Elsie a hug, "I'm truly glad to see you doing so well my friend. I just hope that the next time we take tea together it's either in your parlor or…" Isobel froze as she realized that she almost let the cat out of the bag.

Charles stepped in about then, "or in my butler's pantry, perhaps, Isobel? As you mentioned before, since we are now friends and destined to spend more time in more informal circumstances."

"Yes, Charles, that was exactly what I meant. " She looked at him gratefully, "Well, wish me luck. I'm off to have lunch with Cousin Cora, the young ladies….and Lady Violet." She said the last with a tone of trepidation. "Ta!" she called as she went out the door.

"Charles, quick! She's left her bag," Elsie pointed at the foot of the bed and Charles grabbed it and stepped out leaving the door ajar.

"Isobel," he called out and she returned to stand near him in the hall. "You forgot your bag," he said loudly so that he could be sure that Elsie heard. Then in a lower voice, "I thank you for spending time with Elsie this morning, I know that she enjoyed your company."

"It was my pleasure, Charles," she replied reaching out to take the carpetbag from his hand. "I'll wait in the main parlor after luncheon and then you and I can slip up to the attic?" Charles nodded in agreement and turned back towards the door.

In the meantime, Elsie's ears perked up when she heard Isobel whisper "my pleasure" to Charles. She strained to hear the rest of the conversation but all she could pick out was something about meeting Charles in the attic. That was strange and she decided that she must be too tired and was beginning to imagine things.

Just then Charles came back through the door to pick up the tea tray. "Did you have a good visit with Isobel?"

"Yes, she wants to redecorate Matthew's bedroom and the sunroom for when Matthew is finally able to come home to Crawley House," she said trying to stifle a huge yawn.

Charles sat down beside her and placed his hands on the bed on either side of her hips. He leaned down to kiss her collarbone at the spot that had preoccupied his mind all afternoon and sucked lightly at the skin before nipping at it with his teeth. "Lucky for you, Dr. Clarkson has ordered complete bed rest otherwise, I might have to find an excuse to stay here and ravish you."

"Mmmmm," was Elsie's reply as she guided his head up with her hand at the back of his neck so that she could kiss him. As soon as they broke apart she was overcome with another yawn.

"So, married life with me is that exciting?" he chuckled as he tugged at her hips urging her to scoot down in the bed so she could nap lying down.

"You already said you couldn't stay so I guess I'm not going to be missing much," her eyes were already sliding shut as Charles covered her with the tartan rug from her parlor.

He bent down and kissed her temple, "Sleep well, my love." He picked up the tray and closed the door quietly behind him.

_**A/N2: As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on characterization and where you think the storyline is going. ;-)**_


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: The reviews have been wonderful and I'm really glad that ya'll are enjoying the fun parts. **_

_**Disclaimer: The characters all belong to ITV and Mr. Fellowes except for Mr. Laughton! ;-) **_

Isobel entered the dining room and sat across the table from Lady Violet. All of the ladies turned to her expectantly. "Yes, she looked very well. Thank you, Mr. Carson," she said smirking as Charles began to pour the tea. Lady Violet huffed as her Ladyship and the girls burst into laughter.

"I'm glad to hear that Mrs. Carson is feeling better," smiled her Ladyship as she sipped her tea.

"She is, your Ladyship," interjected Mr. Carson, "but she still tires easily. She was asleep almost before Mrs. Crawley left the room."

"Yes, yes," dithered Lady Violet, "but what did she say about the fabrics and trims!" Everyone knew that Lady Violet didn't have the patience for exchanging niceties especially when it came to Isobel Crawley so they quickly turned the conversation to the subject at hand.

"She talked a lot about figuring out where the sunlight would be coming into the room from," said Isobel between bites of her lunch.

"I don't see what difference it will make," snorted Lady Violet shaking her head. "They will both be needed below stairs here before sunrise and they won't be leaving until well after dark."

Her Ladyship giggled behind her napkin as she caught Isobel rolling her eyes in response. "They _will _have days off, _once_ in awhile," was Isobel's somewhat sarcastic reply. The girls tried hard not to laugh as the two traded barbs. "Mr. Carson? When were you planning on taking Mrs. Carson down to the cottage for the first time?"

"I hadn't really thought about it," frowned Mr. Carson. "There's still so much to be done in the meantime. Mrs. Carson is beginning to feel better though and it won't be long before she's up and around and then I'll be hard pressed to keep it a secret."

"It crossed my mind this morning that we just won't have the time to shop for fabrics or sew up new draperies and linens," said Isobel with a grimace.

Her Ladyship sat thinking for a few moments, "You may find everything you need up in the attic. I'm pretty sure that there is at least one trunk with linens and sheets for the beds and then there's the draperies from the study on the second floor and a set from Robert's dressing room when we redecorated last year. As I said before, you may use whatever you can find up there."

"Those old draperies from Father's dressing room were so dark and dreary, Mother. What colors do you think Mrs. Carson would like to see, Cousin Isobel?" asked Lady Edith.

"She was under the impression that her advice was for myself and Matthew so it might not be quite right but she was rather keen on prints with small flowers and thought that lavender was a nice pastel color that Matthew couldn't complain too much about," she said with a sad smile.

"Mrs. Crawley," said Carson sensing her sadness and wishing to ease it somewhat, "Your assistance with this task has been invaluable and I really can't thank you enough.

Isobel looked up at him and broke into a genuine smile at the true look of admiration that she saw on his face. "Thank you, Mr. Carson. Are we still on for our 'safari' in the attic?"

"I'll be sure to dust off my elephant gun and will meet you here in the dining room after luncheon to escort you to the jungle." Everyone laughed as Carson strode from the room to bring the dessert up from the kitchens.

-o O o-

Elsie woke up from her nap and glanced at the clock, she'd been asleep for three hours! She sat on the edge of the bed to clear her head and decided that she needed to make a trip to the loo so she went out into the hallway and headed down towards the bathroom in the women's hallway. On her way back to Charles' room she passed by the doorway leading to the attic and thought she heard Charles and Isobel so she stepped up to the doorway and what she heard caused her to stop at the foot of the stairs.

"_How is Elsie doing this afternoon, Charles?" asked Isobel._

"_She was very tired when you left and she was still sleeping when I looked in on her a short while ago. I'll just be very glad when this whole ordeal is over and she is back on her feet and able to be on her own. By the way, did I remember to say thank you for this afternoon?" He said to her quietly._

"_You did," she giggled softly, "I hope you know there isn't anything that I wouldn't do for you, Charles," _

"_Then perhaps I could ask you to meet me tomorrow morning, I have something you might be able to help me with." Their voices faded as they walked towards the back of the attic._

That was enough for Elsie, she hurried back to his room and sat on the edge of the bed. What just happened she wondered to herself. Was her best friend throwing herself at Charles? Had she really meant what she said this morning about wanting to get his attention? And Charles, he couldn't really be considering it…could he?

She'd never given him a reason to doubt her love or her fidelity. She'd never even turned him away in bed before and as a matter of fact, she was usually as keen for him as he was for her. It had been awhile since they'd been together like that but he was the one who'd fallen asleep last night.

Focus Elsie, she told herself, this just can't be happening. At first she was angry and then she wanted to cry and scream, what was happening to her? Suddenly she couldn't seem to breathe. She tried to stand up and move towards the hallway but found herself feeling very dizzy so she lay back on the bed. As she focused on her breathing and got that under control, her thoughts began to calm as well.

Perhaps this was her fault after all. If she hadn't let herself become rundown…hadn't become so upset about William…hadn't caused so much trouble with the doctor and his Lordship…if only….

-o _O_ o-

The inventory from the attic now included a sofa, armchair with ottoman, hearth rug, small table with four chairs, wardrobe, dresser, two bedside tables and several large oil lamps since there was no electricity in the cottage.

Isobel uncovered a large trunk and discovered a treasure trove of stored draperies, sheets and linens. "Charles, could you give me a hand?" She sorted everything into stacks so that they could go through them.

"I hope you know what you're doing, Isobel," said Charles as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm at a loss when it comes to this sort of thing. As long as I have sheets on my bed and a clean uniform in the wardrobe, I am a happy man."

"How many windows did you say were in the main room at the cottage?" she asked shaking out a couple of sets of draperies.

"Just the one but it is rather large and I think it will let in a lot of light in the mornings as the sun comes up on that side," he had picked up that light was important when it came to windows during the luncheon conversation.

"Well it looks like maybe there are two choices here. This chocolate brown and then there is this rose color." Charles just shrugged at her. "At tea this morning, Elsie kept talking about lilacs and lavenders so I think that she would prefer the rose shade over this dark brown and maybe she and I can make a trip to Ripon to look at fabrics when she is feeling better. Now here are two sets of good linens and a nice quilt for the bed." Isobel set both the draperies and the bed linens into a box that Charles had found near the back of the attic.

"You're sure that Anna said not to worry about not finding a bed?" worried Charles.

"She said that Mr. Laughton was adamant that we were 'not to worry about a thing'," said Isobel laying her hand on his arm. "You know Charles, Elsie will be happy no matter what the cottage looks like so long as she's with you."

He smiled wryly, "I do know that, but it would still be nice to know for sure that we'll have a place to lay our heads at the end of the day."

Isobel laughed and rose to her feet, "Mr. Laughton also said to let him know when you want his staff to come up and help with moving the furniture."

"I'll go down to see him after dinner tonight. Here, take my hand" he helped her step around a box of knick knacks that they'd left a little too close to the top of the stairs.

"Elsie is a very lucky woman to have found someone as thoughtful and caring as you are Charles," she said as she took his hand, "Maybe I'll be lucky enough to find my own Charles Carson one day soon."

Charles blushed as he escorted her down the stairs and up to the main entrance of the house where Mr. Molesley was waiting to drive her home.

_**A/N2: Reviews are always welcome and have helped to make this story better! **_


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: So…can you believe that Isobel? And she's supposed to be Elsie's BFF! As Onesimus said, you mess with the Scottish dragon and you're bound to get singed! Or could it possibly be something else? Keep reading…. ;-)**_

_**Disclaimer: They're not mine…but they make wonderful playmates! **_

Later that afternoon, Charles was strapping down the last of the luggage to the boot of the car when Lord Grantham approached, "Carson, I want you to keep me informed if Mrs. Carson needs additional time off."

"I will sir, and thank you. Mrs. Carson and I both appreciate the accommodation that you've made for us…on every front." The two men exchanged knowing smiles. Charles went on, "Sir, if it isn't too much trouble…I know that Mrs. Carson would appreciate any news that might come up about young William or even of Mr. Crawley's arrival in London."

Nodding in agreement his Lordship replied, "Not to worry, Carson, I understand. I have several inquiries out at the moment and I'll ring as soon as there's any bit of news." Carson inclined his head in acknowledgement and walked around the end of the car to open the door and assist the ladies.

All three of the girls gathered around him but it was Lady Mary who took the lead, "Carson, we expect a full report with all the details on Mrs. Carson's reaction to the cottage."

"Yes, mi'Lady," said Charles trying his best to suppress a smile. He assisted the three of them into the back of the car and turned to offer his hand to Lady Grantham.

"Carson, you're sure that Mrs. Carson is alright?" she peered up at him with a concerned look on her face.

"Yes, mi'Lady," Charles smiled at her. "She does tire easily but she is getting stronger everyday and she's eating better than she had been. I think Dr. Clarkson will be pleased when comes to assess her at the end of the week."

"Good! I _am_ glad to hear that," she said as Carson assisted her into the car as well.

Lord Grantham and Carson exchanged a hand shake, "Take good care of my girls until my return, Carson."

"I will, Sir!" Carson waved as the entourage started up the driveway and then he hurried back into the house to discuss moving the furniture down from the attic in the morning with the rest of the staff.

-o O o-

"Now, I'll be going down to speak with Mr. Laughton later this evening and he'll bring his boys by tomorrow morning to help with the furniture," Charles explained to rest of the staff. "Anna, perhaps you, Daisy and Miss O'Brien could take the linens and things down after they get the furniture shifted?"

"Yes, Mr. Carson," replied Anna hoping that Miss O'Brien wouldn't be upset that he seemed to be putting her in the lead.

"Now the only problem is what to do with Mrs. Carson," he sighed heavily.

"What do you mean?" asked O'Brien.

"The easiest way to take the furniture down from the attic is straight down the men's hallway, down the backstairs and out through the back door," said Charles with a defeated tone in his voice. "Mrs. Carson is beginning to feel well enough that she'll be the first one out in the hall as soon as she hears the commotion."

"Perhaps Mrs. Crawley could help out again," said O'Brien, "You said she was brilliant this morning."

"That's not a bad idea Miss O'Brien," said Charles thoughtfully, "but where would we put them?" He looked to see the puzzled looks around the table. "Having tea in the housekeeper's parlor or here in the kitchens won't work with all the furniture going by. We need to find a way to get them upstairs."

"What about the library, Sir?" said a quiet voice at the table. Everyone turned in unison to look at Daisy.

"The library," Carson raised an eyebrow at her.

"Well, Mrs. Carson likes to read doesn't she?" Daisy gulped and rambled on when Carson nodded his head. "Maybe they could have tea in the library and Mrs. Crawley could help her pick out some books to bring back to read," Daisy finished in a rush and lowered her head to stare at her hands in her lap.

"Daisy, my girl, you're a genius!" exclaimed Carson as Daisy blushed furiously at his praise. "I'll explain to Mrs. Crawley as soon as she arrives in the morning. Mrs. Patmore, can you prepare morning tea and a light lunch for the two of them. That ought to keep them busy for a couple of hours."

"It would be my pleasure, Mr. Carson. I've got some fresh blackberries in and I could make a nice crumble," explained Mrs. Patmore.

"Thank you. Does anyone have any questions about tomorrow? No, well in that case, is Mrs. Carson's dinner ready Mrs. Patmore?"

-o _O_ o-

Elsie had spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about what she'd overhead from the conversation in the attic. She wondered if it was recent events or something from the past that may have pushed Charles away when she suddenly remembered his story about Mr. Laughton. Could he possibly have been jealous of Mr. Laughton? Elsie was determined to find out tonight if that could possibly be the reason when Charles came through the door with the dinner tray.

"It's just shepherd's pie and apple tart tonight," he announced as he sat the tray down on the bedside table.  
>"Can't say as I blame Mrs. Patmore for taking it easy with the family away tonight," said Elsie quietly.<p>

Charles looked up at her then and noticed that she was looking paler than she had this afternoon, "Elsie, are you alright? You've not had another spell have you?"

She tried to brush him off by saying, "No, I'm fine. Maybe I just overdid it a bit with the soak in the tub and lunch with Isobel."

"Ah, that might be it then. Your dinner, my dear," he handed her the plate with a flourish. He noticed that her smile was very dim this evening. "Are you sure that's all there is?"

"Well…I was wondering…" Elsie pushed the food around on her plate. "Did it bother you to find out that Mr. Laughton had proposed to me?"

Charles wondered what she was on about but answered her as he started in on his own dinner, "As I said before, I wasn't bothered that he asked, just surprised."

"Did it bother you that I never told you about it," she inquired innocently.

He pondered her question as he finished a mouthful of shepherd's pie, "I hadn't really considered that. You explained what happened and that you'd dealt with it, that was enough for me. It's not like you were entertaining the possibility, were you?" he grinned at her playfully.

"NO!" she glared at him handing over her half-empty plate. He frowned a bit but decided not too push her about eating given the melancholy mood she seemed to be in.

"Then I don't see a problem. Would you like some apple tart?" he asked as he poured them both a cup of tea and handed one to her.

"Just a cup of tea, thank you," she replied looking into the depths of her cup. He seemed sincere enough, she thought to herself. Then it must be something that I've done and she began to think back over the events of the past few days.

"Elsie?" he interrupted her train of thought. She looked up at him and gave a wistful smile. "You were a million miles away, my dear."

"I was wondering if you might be up to bed early with the family away," she said.

"I will be up _earlier_ but I do have one or two bits of paperwork that require my attention this evening so I'll need to go down to my office for an hour or two," he replied picking up the dinner tray and setting it on the dresser.

He came back and sat close to her on the bed and gently drew her to him and kissed her on the forehead. "Elsie, I do worry about you. I want you to rest so that Dr. Clarkson will give you a clean bill of health when he comes by at the end of the week…but I certainly do miss you and I miss this." He hugged her close and kissed her ardently.

Her head was swimming by the time he pulled away. She wondered how she could be so wrong, how could he kiss her like that if he was interested in Isobel Crawley. Was she imagining things? By the time he was finished with his second kiss, she didn't care anymore all she knew was that she didn't want for him to leave.

"Do you really have to go?" she asked as she hugged him closer.

He chuckled into her hairline, "Yes, his Lordship gave me two tasks that need completing in time for a messenger to come by and pick up the paperwork first thing in the morning. Then there are one or two other things that should be done before morning but I promise that I'll be up just as soon as I can."

He pulled back to look down into her face and traced her jawline with his fingertips. "Do you have any idea how beautiful you are?" He kissed her on the nose and settled her back into the pillows against the headboard before standing and picking up the dinner tray. He turned to look at her and noticed that her eyes were already sliding closed.

-o O o-

When he returned just before midnight, he found her exactly as he had left her. He chuckled to himself as he went over to the wardrobe and took out her nightgown. He changed into his own pyjamas and then went over to the bed to try and get her undressed. He'd just about managed to get the buttons undone on her blouse and her skirt when she began to wake up.

"Shush now, lass. Not to worry, let's just get you into your nightgown," he drew her towards him as he slipped off her blouse.

"Charles, that's awfully sweet of you but I think I can stand up and change myself," she said with a sleepy smile on her face.

"If you insist," he grinned helping her to her feet. He then settled back against the headboard to watch. "I don't know which I prefer, watching you dress or undress," he mimicked her words from the other night.

Smiling, she slipped off her skirt and blouse and then turned to him seductively, "I think I might need a little help with my shift." He moved to sit on the edge of the bed and she stepped over to stand between his knees.

"Elsie, I don't think this is what the doctor had in mind," he said as she lifted her shift over her head and dropped it to the floor. She reached over to take his hands in hers and placed them on her waist as she reached around his shoulders to pull him closer. He groaned and kissed her navel as he reached up to caress her breasts. He then pulled her onto his lap and kissed her slowly and deeply. She gave a little whimper as he pulled away and stood them both on their feet.

"Elsie, we can't," he said as he reached for her nightgown and pulled it over her head. "You need your rest, otherwise Dr. Clarkson is going to _keep_ you on bed rest and I'd rather not go through another week of keeping my hands…and the rest of me…to myself."

"But Charles…"

"No buts, Elsie. I love you and I most _definitely_ want what you want," he said with a gentle kiss to her lips. "But I want you to be well for a very long time so that we can continue to enjoy each other and I'll not jeopardize that for a single night's pleasure."

He turned and settled her in the bed under the covers before turning to hang her skirt, blouse and shift in the wardrobe. He then blew out the lamp and climbed into his side of the bed.

"Good night, sweetheart," he whispered in her ear as he urged her to turn on her side so he could snuggle up against her back. He wrapped his arms around her and settled in for the night.

Elsie on the other hand found herself to be even more confused than ever. He said that he loved her and wanted her but now he wouldn't touch her even when she offered herself to him. Dr. Clarkson had ordered bed rest but she didn't think that making love just this once would make much difference, especially since she generally tended to sleep so well afterwards. She could hear Charles snoring behind her and it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep herself, dreaming about how she might win back the affections of the man she loved.

_**A/N2: I have been reading your reviews and I'm so happy that what I'm thinking seems to be coming across in my writing as evidenced by your wonderful reviews. I've not been able to reply to individual reviews yet… with family in from Dublin this week and working at my "real job"…it's been hectic. But I will get to that this weekend! **_


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: Me thinks it's time for the heavy lifting to begin….in more ways than one! **_

_**Disclaimer: Me thinks they have a more interesting life over here in our little Downton AU but alas…they are only here to play as their permanent residence is at ITV with Mr. Fellowes.**_

Charles was lying in bed with his arm loosely wrapped around Elsie's waist trying to think of ways to convince her to spend some time in the library this morning. He didn't think she would just go for the usual, it's such a nice day and we could open the french doors bit that would have worked with the younger ladies. He'd have to accomplish it in stages. A plan was just starting to form in his mind when Elsie began rouse next to him. He curled up behind her and kissed her on _that spot_ behind her left ear and she shivered in his arms.

"Good morning, Love," he murmured against her neck.

"It is now," she stretched and turned over to face him, the events and confusion of yesterday momentarily forgotten in the comfort of his arms.

"I thought perhaps you might be feeling up to having breakfast with the rest of the staff this morning," he said putting his plan into action. "I think they're beginning to believe that I'm holding you against your will up here," he chuckled and pulled her close for a lingering kiss.

"I might begin to believe it myself," she said trying to sound light as the thoughts and doubts of yesterday began to swirl again in her mind. "I really would like to get out of this room for a bit."

"Elsie, you wound me," he exclaimed, "we used to dream of the days that we could spend locked away together in my bedroom."

"Making love all day," she whispered into his chest disappointed with the events of last night.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing, just daydreaming. Yes, I think that I would like to come down to breakfast and maybe I could go through some of the paperwork on my desk before you force me back to my prison cell?" She slapped him playfully on the chest.

"As a matter of fact, I've moved most of your paperwork to my desk but there are a couple of items that I have questions about. Perhaps we could work together this morning…side by side?" he grinned down at her, slowly running his hand over her hip and down the back of her thigh.

"Tsk, tsk now Charles," she was really having problems reconciling his flirtatious behavior with the conversation she overheard yesterday and his behavior last night. "I thought you didn't want me to have any setbacks so, none of that now. Off you go!" She pushed him away and almost off the side of the bed.

He was a little surprised at how hard she had pushed him as he slipped out the other side of the bed. He came around the end and tried to pull her into an embrace and she continued to put him off saying, "You were the one who set the rules, I'm off to get ready for breakfast." And she went out the door pulling her robe up over her shoulders as she went.

He was still puzzling over what had happened this morning after he returned from shaving and cleaning his teeth. As he pulled on his trousers and an old work shirt it suddenly dawned on him, he _had_ rebuffed her advances last night. As he finished lacing up his old work boots he decided that it would likely be the better part of valor to keep his distance until he could figure out a way to make it up to her.

-o _O_ o-

They'd made it through breakfast without any 'close calls' on the cottage or the day's upcoming activities. Upon questioning by Mrs. Carson, Anna and Miss O'Brien said that they would be taking advantage of the ladies of the house being away to do some organizing and heavy cleaning in their rooms.

"Sounds reasonable," said Mrs. Carson, "I'll be assisting Mr. Carson with a few of the accounts so you'll find me in his pantry if you need me. With that she rose and left the table.

Charles scrambled up behind her and whispered hoarsely, "I'll try to get her upstairs within the hour. Anna, when Mrs. Crawley comes explain what the plan is and ask her to wait in the library, then come down and announce her arrival to Mrs. Carson in my pantry." With that he turned and followed her out.

-o _O_ o-

They had been working steadily for about an hour and Elsie had actually helped him clear quite a bit of the backlog on the paperwork that he'd let slide when she fell ill. Just then Anna knocked on the door and stuck her head round when he answered, "Come in!"

"Mrs. Crawley is here to see Mrs. Carson," she said.

"Oh no," groaned Elsie as she hung her head in her hands. She really did not feel up to dealing with Isobel Crawley this morning, not after what she'd gone through yesterday.

"Anna, show Mrs. Crawley to the library and have Mrs. Patmore prepare some tea to go up." Charles had not expected this reaction from Elsie upon hearing that her best friend had come to call, especially since they'd seemed to be getting along so well yesterday. "Elsie, what's wrong, you seem distressed that Isobel has come calling?"

Elsie did not want to have to explain herself to Charles either so she decided that she would go up and spend a short time with Isobel and then make her excuses and go to her room. After all, she was _supposed_ to be on bed rest as had been pointed out to her so often lately.

"It's nothing, Charles. I guess…I'm…I'm just tired is all."

"Well, having tea with Isobel will provide a nice diversion and then maybe you could have a rest on the chaise lounge in the library. I'm sure that Lady Cora wouldn't mind and it will be a lot quieter up there than listening to Mrs. Patmore yell for Daisy below stairs all day," he chuckled trying to lighten her mood.

"Yes, _yes_ Charles," she shrugged out from under his arm and stood up. "I'm on my way."

He could not for the life of him figure out this change in her mood and attitude but he decided that there was too much going on to worry about it now, "I'll bring the tea tray up as soon as Mrs. Patmore has it ready." She nodded and headed for the stairs while he turned to go into the kitchen.

-o _O_ o-

Charles had settled the two women down with their tea and left to "attend to other duties". The conversation was somewhat stilted and Isobel finally asked, "Elsie, is something the matter?"

Elsie sat thoughtfully for several minutes before responding, "Was there ever a time in your marriage when you thought that Reginald was having an affair?"

Isobel's jaw dropped in surprise, "Do you think that Charles is cheating on you?"

"God no!" backtracked Elsie realizing that she needed to exercise caution in this conversation. "Whenever and _whoever_ would he find the time with around here," she quipped rolling her eyes.

Elsie's response made Isobel feel better but her curiosity was piqued now, "Thank goodness, why do you ask?"

"Well, uhm…my sister, she wrote to say that she's nervous that her husband has been paying a lot of attention to a friend of hers and although she's not sure if they are actually having an affair, she's not quite sure what she could or should do about it." Elsie just looked down into her cup of tea waiting for Isobel to respond.

"It's not something that I've ever shared with anyone before," Isobel said quietly, "but there was a time, right after Matthew was born that I worried about my marriage."

"Really," exclaimed Elsie with an astonished look on her face.

"I think all women worry about the state of their marriage at some time or another. Mine was soon after Matthew was born. As a new mother enamored with my son, I wanted to do everything for him and my attention was so consumed that I began to _neglect_ Reginald," she said willing Elsie to understand that the neglect was in the bedroom. "I was up and down all night with Matthew and tended to be very tired. The few times that he initiated…lovemaking," Isobel blushed profusely, "I must admit that my heart wasn't really in it."

"I finally noticed that Reginald was spending more and more time at the hospital. One afternoon when I stopped by with Matthew to visit a few of the nurses who were friends of mine, I saw him talking and laughing with one of the second year nursing students. My friends reassured me that they were pretty sure that nothing was going on between them but that didn't keep my heart from skipping a beat when I saw them together."

"What did you do," asked Elsie with a concerned look on her face, forgetting for a moment that she currently suspected this same woman of throwing herself at Charles.

"I went home and thought about what had happened leading up to that afternoon and determined that it was my lack of attention to Reginald that was the culprit. So…," Isobel paused blushing again, "I decided to seduce my husband."

Elsie giggled and suddenly they were like young girls 'kissing and telling'.

"Elsie, if you EVER tell anyone about this, I swear I'll wring your neck. I arranged for one of the nurses from the hospital to stay the night with us later that week…as a nanny!" Isobel glared at Elsie's smirk and raised eyebrows, "I prepared a cold supper and bottle of wine which I set up in our bedroom. I put on a nightdress that Reginald particularly liked and fixed my hair the way that he like it and waited for him to come home." Isobel sipped her tea and started munching on one of the sandwiches Mrs. Patmore had sent up.

"That's it?" exclaimed Elsie, "What happened?"

"Let's just say that I was very glad that the guest bedroom where Sheila stayed with Matthew was on the other side of the house," she laughed but then went on quietly, "the important thing, Elsie, was that afterwards, Reginald and I were able to have an intimate conversation about our marriage and really put everything to rights."

"And you never again had doubts?"

"No, because somehow…after all of that, we just knew when we needed extra time or attention." Just about then, Isobel caught sight of Charles through a crack in the servant's doorway and he gave her the signal that they were done moving the furniture and linens from the attic.

"Well, it has been an interesting morning, Elsie." Isobel stood and gathered her handbag and scarf, "but I've got a couple of errands to run in the village today so I'd better be off." She motioned for Elsie to stay on the chaise lounge as Charles had admonished her earlier this morning, "Stay where you are, I can see myself down to the kitchen to find Molesley where I'm sure that he's helping himself to seconds of Mrs. Patmore's scones or apple tart." They both laughed as she headed out the door to the hallway and the servant's stairs.

-o _O_ o-

Left alone with her thoughts, Elsie found herself in a quandary. Again, she couldn't reconcile her friend's behavior with the conversation that she'd overhead in the attic. And how could Elsie feel so at ease with her that she'd forgotten her suspicions about Isobel's attentions towards Charles. It just didn't make sense to her. Perhaps she had gotten the wrong end of the stick after all.

Elsie was still arguing with herself when she heard the front doorbell. She got up and walked into the hallway and to the head of the servant's stairs and called down, "Mr. Carson!" She waited for a few moments and Daisy appeared at the foot of the stairs, "Tell Mr. Carson that I'll see to whoever's at the front door."

"That's good, Ma'am, because he's gone down to the cottage with Mrs. Crawley," Daisy turned and headed back to the kitchens without a second thought.

Elsie felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as she walked to the front door. The doorbell was just sounding for the second time when she opened the door and found Dr. Clarkson standing there.

_**A/N2: Your reviews are valuable because they let me know whether I'm still on track or not….so thanks in advance! **_


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: All of your reviews have been delightful and I've enjoyed some of the theories that have been put forth. All I can say is…keep reading! ;-)**_

_**Disclaimer: Checked again this morning and they still don't belong to me and I'm still not making any money…so they must still belong to ITV and Mr. Fellowes!**_

Elsie didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Dr. Clarkson was the last person that she expected to see with everything else that had been going on but perhaps he was the one person who could actually begin to set everything to rights.

"Dr. Clarkson, please come in," she motioned for him to step into the foyer, "How may I help you?"

"I've actually come to check on you, Mrs. Carson," he said smiling. "I was attending Mr. Alton up the way and thought that I'd drop by to see how you were doing. Answering the front door would not have been high on my list of activities for a patient on bed rest but I'm sure you'll have a good explanation?" he asked questioningly.

She led him into the library and took her seat at the end of the chaise lounge. "Mrs. Crawley stopped by for tea this morning and Mr. Carson…Charles, thought that it would be nice if we had our visit here in the library."

Dr. Clarkson waited quietly for her to continue.

"Mrs. Crawley left a short while ago and I was still here in the library when you rang the bell. Rather than have Charles come all the way up from below stairs, I thought it would be just as easy to answer the door myself."

"You _look_ well enough, Mrs. Carson," he nodded accepting her explanation.

"I feel well, Dr. Clarkson," she said quietly and then sighed deeply when she noticed the doubtful look in his eyes. "I feel well _enough_. I do tire easily and I seem to be sleeping a lot lately but I have to admit that I'm a little tired of being treated like a china doll."

"And no episodes of dizziness or fainting?" he inquired.

"A bit of dizziness in the first day or so but nothing recently," she reassured him. "I just feel a bit 'fuzzy'." He looked at her with a raised eyebrow.

"I keep thinking that if I just had a task to focus on, I would feel a bit more like myself," she explained. "I helped Charles with some of the accounting this morning and it felt…good to get something accomplished. Does that make sense?"

"Knowing you as well as I do, Mrs. Carson, it makes perfect sense." He reached over to his bag, "I would like to listen to your heart and your lungs for a moment, is there someplace we can go?"

"There's my room in the servant's quarters," she began, but for some reason she wasn't sure she wanted the rest of the staff to know about Dr. Clarkson's visit, just yet. "But the family is away, the maids are either upstairs or below stairs working and Charles is…_elsewhere_ on the estate so I don't think we would be disturbed here. Unless I need to undress?" she looked at him questioningly.

"Just a couple of buttons will do," he said as he reached into the bag. Elsie unfastened another couple of buttons below the open collar of her blouse and Dr. Clarkson gently placed his stethoscope near her heart. He listened at several spots on her upper chest, "Now, a deep breath if you please, Mrs. Carson."

"I'm wearing a corset, Dr. Clarkson," she looked up at him with a smirk on her face, "how deeply do you think I _can_ breathe?"

He chuckled wryly, "Point taken, I'm glad to see your sense of humor is returning as well. I think that having you up and around working on small tasks would be fine…with some restrictions." He looked at her pointedly and she bowed her head in resignation. "You may work in your office for short periods of time but no running up and down the stairs after the housemaids, at least not for a few more days. I would also like for you to take both a morning, and an afternoon nap…don't roll your eyes at me young lady," he smiled at her. "Alright, we'll call it an afternoon _rest_ then."

"Thank you, Doctor," she smiled back at him, "and no other _restrictions_?"

"Mrs. Carson…Elsie," he said letting go of formality to appeal to the woman that he'd come to regard as more of a friend and ally over the years in his dealings with the family and staff of this estate. "It is important that you don't neglect yourself the way that you had been. You need to eat properly and rest properly in order to stay strong, for Charles…and for young William. I'm sure you're quite capable of taking care of yourself, but it is important for them that you do just that."

"I will, I promise," she said solemnly and then gave him a reassuring smile.

"And if you should experience any dizziness or fainting spells, I want you to have Charles call for me right away." He picked up his bag and started for the door, "You stay where you are and _rest_, I can see myself out."

Elsie leaned back against the chaise lounge to process all that had gone on this morning. An idea began to form in her mind. Now that the doctor had lifted his order for _complete _bed rest, she could plan a few activities of her own. She was going to give Isobel Crawley a run for her money and win her husband back using Isobel's own strategy against her!

-o _O_ o-

Isobel found Molesly and Charles sitting at the table in the servant's dining room after coming downstairs from the library.

"How was she when you left her?" asked Charles anxiously.

"She was fine, why?" replied Isobel.

"I'm not really sure but she's been in a bit of mood this morning," he said peering into his teacup.

"Well, she did ask me…" Isobel trailed off.

"About what?"

She definitely did not want to share the conversation from the library with these two so she laughed and said, "Just girl talk really, something that her sister had written about. Listen here, Charles, after all that time rummaging around in the dust and cobwebs in the attic, I expect a full tour of this new cottage of yours." They stood and Charles escorted both of them out the back door.

-o O o-

Molesley, Charles and Mr. Laughton then spent the next three hours lugging furniture from the backside of the main house down to the stables and over to the cottage. Moving solid mahogany is an arduous task even with younger, stronger stable boys to help. Then there was moving the furniture back and forth in the cottage and with five women – Anna, Isobel, Miss O'Brien, Daisy and even Mrs. Patmore for a short while - there was a multitude of ideas on how to arrange it all and their curiosity wouldn't be satisfied until they could "see it for themselves."

Charles was sure that they'd moved the settee and armchair at least twenty times before he put his foot down and said that they would arrange it just as the furniture was in Mrs. Carson's parlor in the main house – facing the fireplace with the settee towards the middle and the armchair off to the side. Besides, that's the way he liked it so that he and Elsie could sit close to the fire on the settee with her snugged between his legs doing her mending, reading or just cuddling.

Mrs. Patmore had brought down a basket with basic provisions for the kitchen and the three men were just sitting down to a cup of tea at the small kitchen table as Anna and Daisy hung the rose draperies under the watchful eye of Miss O'Brien.

Isobel was just taking out the last odds and ends from a small box, "Where would you like these photographs?"

Charles looked over in surprise just as Anna piped up, "Please, don't be upset, Mr. Carson." She winced slightly in preparation for a dressing down but went on, "We took the liberty of bringing a few of the photographs from Mrs. Carson's parlor and your pantry." He raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

He looked down at the photographs in Isobel's hands, "That's Elsie's sister and family, and of course you recognize young William and the last is my mother." Charles then stepped to the fireplace and carefully placed each photograph on the mantelpiece. Then he pulled a small framed photograph from his back pocket and set it alongside the others.

"She looked very beautiful," said Isobel quietly as she stood beside him.

"It was our wedding day," he said simply.

"Well, if that's everything," boomed Mr. Laughton as he stood up from the table.

"All the furniture is in place, the linens and dishes are put away, the draperies are up, and I think that's everything in its place," Anna said as she ticked off the items on her fingers.

"Now all we need is a place to sleep," said Charles looking over at Mr. Laughton.

"Charles, my boy, I told you that I have that taken care of," he placed his hand on Charles shoulder. "You'll just have to trust me that all will be revealed when you bring your lovely bride down tomorrow."

_**A/N2: Your reviews really do make a difference and perk up my days. REALLY, I'm so glad that ya'll are enjoying the story. :-)**_


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: Well, the heavy lifting is done! Let's see how the rest of the evening goes!**_

_**Disclaimer: No change in status of characters this afternoon so I'll just say thanks to Mr. Fellowes for letting me visit with them just a bit longer!**_

It was dinner time when the tired troupe approached the back door of the main house. When he opened the door, Charles could hear Elsie questioning Mrs. Patmore as to where everyone was and if Mr. Carson had imparted a specific time for dinner to be served.

He turned to Isobel and Mr. Molesly, "I'll ask her into my pantry and you two head up the main staircase and out the front door. "

"Mrs. Carson, may I see you in my pantry for a moment," he called out as he went through the back door. He closed the door of his pantry behind them and then took hold of her hand. "You're supposed to be resting, not having a go at the kitchen staff," he said looking at her with concern.

"They are _my staff_ to have a go at," she snorted and pulled her hand away. Just then there was a knock at the door.

"Mr. Carson, will you and Mrs. Carson be having dinner upstairs this evening?" called out Mrs. Patmore.

Charles raised an eyebrow at her in question and Elsie responded, "We'll join the rest of the staff in the dining room this evening, Mrs. Patmore."

"Well in that case, dinner is ready whenever you are, Mrs. Carson."

"I'm sure the rest of the staff is hungry, we'd better go," she said turning to open the door. He looked after her worriedly but followed and sat at the table next to her.

Platters were passed and the meal progressed with unusually friendly chatter between Anna and Miss O'Brien.

"Mr. Carson, we weren't able to find the trunk with the dresses for Lady Violet. By the time that we finished in the ladies rooms this afternoon it was rather dark in the attic," said Anna.

"Yes, we'd like to try again first thing in the morning when the sun will be coming in through those large gable windows at the north end of the attic. We saw several large trunks stored down at that end just as we were finishing up this evening," added Miss O'Brien.

"Dresses for Lady Violet?" questioned Mrs. Carson.

Picking up on the story that Anna was offering as a ruse for the days activities at the cottage, Charles replied, "Lady Edith mentioned at luncheon yesterday that Sir Anthony was thinking of holding a masquerade ball at his estate next month and Lady Violet said that she thought there was a trunk in the attic that held several dresses that could be modified for the young ladies. I asked Anna and Miss O'Brien to have a look if they had the time."

Mrs. Carson nodded in agreement, "I've always found the morning light to be the best for finding things in the attic."

Charles wanted to heave a huge sigh of relief that Elsie had believed their story but was careful to keep his expression neutral as he continued to eat his dinner.

"And what of you, Mr. Carson," asked Elsie, "I came down to go through a few more of the accounts but couldn't find you."

"I…well, I….I was down at the stables giving Mr. Laughton a hand," Charles stammered. "He needed help with some repairs in the stables and although he has a few stable boys left, they are young boys and not able to do some of the heavy lifting needed to make the repairs. It was what his Lordship asked me down there for earlier this week."

Just then, Mrs. Patmore brought out a blackberry crumble with fresh cream for dessert. "I suspect this is the last of the blackberries for the season so enjoy it," she said placing the dish in the middle of the table.

Charles noticed that Elsie tried to hide a yawn behind her hand, "Mrs. Patmore, if it's all the same to you, I think that Mrs. Carson and I will take our crumble upstairs and bid you all a good night."

He dished up two bowls of the dessert and then motioned for Elsie to precede him up the stairs.

-o O o-

As Charles set the bowls of dessert on top of the dresser in his room, he felt Elsie step up behind him and slip her arms around his waist. She ran her hands slowly up his chest as she pressed herself against his back.

"Mmm, that's nice," he responded covering her hands with his own and gently pulling her just a bit closer. After a few quiet moments just holding each other, he turned and brought her around to hold her to his chest. He bent down to nuzzle her neck and she responded by sliding one hand up around his neck and playing with the hair behind his ear.

"Charles," she whispered in his ear.

"Yes dear?" he murmured back.

"You have cobwebs in your hair," she giggled pulling back to show him a few bedraggled webs stuck to her fingers.

"Must have been while I was down at the stables this afternoon," he laughed, "I suppose I should have a bath before coming to bed." He reached out with his left arm to open the wardrobe and groaned in pain.

"What's wrong, Charles?" asked Elsie with a concerned look on her face.

"It's probably nothing, I must have overdone a bit this afternoon. My shoulder aches a bit is all." He rubbed at it for a moment and then reached into the wardrobe to take out his pyjamas and robe.

Elsie panicked for a moment thinking that her seduction scene may be coming undone but quickly realized that this may fit very well with her plan. "Why don't you go down and have a nice long soak in a hot tub and when you come back, I'll give you a shoulder rub," she offered reaching up to rub his shoulder through his shirt.

"That sounds wonderful," he smiled down and kissed her.

-o _O_ o-

After she was sure that Charles had gone down the hallway towards the men's bathroom, Elsie put her plan into action. She pulled the bottle of wine and two glasses out of the bottom dresser drawer where she'd hidden them and placed them on the bedside table. It was a bottle of red wine, a merlot, so she opened it to let it breathe as Charles had taught her. She was about to turn away to put the finishing touches on the room when she decided that maybe she should take a glass of wine down to Charles in the tub. She wanted him to be as relaxed as possible tonight and having the wine a bit ahead of time would help her accomplish that.

She knocked on the bathroom door and opened it before he could answer.

"Elsie! You shouldn't be in here," he sat up in the bathtub.

"Charles, you are my husband and thanks to you, everyone knows it," she teased him with a smirk.

"There's a difference between being married and sharing a bedroom and having my wife in the men's bathroom," he grumbled, "even if there aren't many men around to use it."

"I won't stay long," she reached over to ruffle his freshly washed hair. His hair was naturally wavy and made him look very boyish when it was wet and curling around his brow and ears. She smoothed the curls behind his ear and let her fingers tail down the side of his neck to his collarbone. He took hold of her hand and kissed the inside of her wrist.

"Elsie, one of the hall boys may walk in."

"I'm fully dressed," she smirked running her hand from his shoulder down across his chest.

"Yes, but they are too young to understand the _games_ sometimes played by a husband and wife. I'd rather not have to explain things later."

"Are you playing games with me, Charles?" she smiled coyly at him.

"There are several games that I'd like to play with you but not here in this bathroom," he said pointedly.

"Well, I've just brought you a glass of wine to help ease the tension a bit."

He took the glass from her and sniffed the bouquet before taking a small sip, "Mmm…nice merlot, good choice sweetheart."

She put her hand back on his shoulder to encourage him to lean back in the tub, "You relax a bit longer and I'll have the bed turned down when you get back."

He smiled up at her and took hold of her hand to kiss it again before she pulled away and left the room. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feel of the hot water as it soothed his aching muscles from moving all that furniture. He smiled and marveled to himself at how well it seemed his plans for Elsie's surprise were working out.

-o O o-

Elsie returned to his room and took a drink from her own wineglass to calm the butterflies in her stomach. Then she pulled out her nightgown, the cotton batiste one with the tiny bluebells embroidered on the bodice. Charles said that he liked the way it felt against his skin and he also liked the fact that it was laced instead of buttoned – made it easier to get off. She blushed when she thought of the last time she had worn this nightgown and quickly realized that was almost a year ago now.

Maybe Isobel was right, maybe she hadn't been giving her full attention to Charles even when they were together lately. Maybe it was her fault that he was turning away from her. She shook her head a little as if clearing the fog and she was determined that it would not happen again, starting tonight.

She changed into her nightgown and then began to remove the pins from her hair. She brushed it until it shone in the low lamplight. She left it loose because she liked the way it sent shivers down her spine when Charles tangled his fingers in it as he kissed her. She was just finishing the last few strokes when he came into the room.

He looked around in surprise as his eyes adjusted to the low light. When he caught sight of Elsie, the wineglass almost fell from his hand along with his clothes. She was sitting at the head of the bed with her hair down around her shoulders. He walked over to the dresser and set the glass and his clothes on the corner. He then went over to the bed and sat quietly watching her.

"What are you looking at, Charles," Elsie said beginning to feel a bit self conscious under his steady gaze.

"I am looking at the most beautiful woman in the world and I'm marveling that she is _my_ wife," he said reaching out to draw her into his arms. She turned so that he could cradle her in his arms and noticed that he grimaced a bit and readjusted his arm and shoulder.

"Charles, you do say the most romantic things at times," she said pulling away and beginning to unbutton his pyjama top, "but I promised you a back rub and I can see that your shoulder is till bothering you so over you go!" She playfully pushed him sideways just a bit to encourage him to scoot down in the bed and turn onto his stomach.

She placed his arms down along his sides as she pulled his pyjama top off. Then she knelt close to him on the bed so that she could reach his upper back. She'd brought some lotion with juniper berry in it and used that to ease her hands up and down his back.

"Mmm," he groaned as she reached one particularly sore spot. He didn't know if it was the wine, the hot bath or the back rub but he was beginning to feel very comfortable and _very_ sleepy.

Her hands were strong but being so much smaller than he, she was having a hard time reaching his opposite shoulder. After awhile she finally gave up and straddled his hips.

He smiled to himself as he felt her weight settle on him, "Would Dr. Clarkson approve of these activities?"

"As a matter of fact, Dr. Clarkson stopped this morning just after Isobel left."

"He did," Charles replied groggily.

"He did and he said that I could start working in my office as long as I didn't overdo. I have to take morning and afternoon _naps,_" she said drily but then emphasized, "otherwise, there are no _other_ restrictions."

Charles was thinking to himself that she ought to tell Isobel so that the two women could plan a shopping trip to Ripon but all he could manage to get out was a faint, "Tell Isobel" which was muffled by the pillow.

All Elsie heard was, "Isobel," and then she realized he had mumbled it in his sleep just before he began snoring.

She sat silently still straddling his hips. She couldn't believe that they were half way undressed and she was practically making love to her husband and he was snoring and dreaming of her best friend. She began to tremble and the tears started to spill down her cheeks. She wanted to run far, far away and just scream into the night to try to ease her pain but she had no place to go. So she climbed quietly off the bed, gathered her things that had managed to make their way down to his room and walked down the hall to her own room in womens' quarters.

_**A/N2: Let's see if I can still pull the rug out from under you…and then you can rub your bum and grumble at me via your review! ;-)**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Let's see…is there any other way that I can pull the rug out from under you? *evil grin* ;-)**_

_**Disclaimer: Just a few more chapters Mr. Fellowes and then you can have them back to plan Series 3!**_

Charles reached out with his left hand to find his wife and came back with just a handful of cold quilt for the effort. He turned his head and found her side of the bed empty. Looking at the clock, he realized it was almost six o'clock in the morning. Although the family was away, there was still an informal schedule to be kept and he was going to be late for breakfast.

As he went over to the wardrobe to take out clean clothes, he noticed that Elsie's things were gone. She must have gone down to the ladies bathroom to get ready for the morning, he thought to himself. He took extra time and care with shaving and combing his hair this morning as he wanted to be sure that he was in tip top form when he took Elsie down to see the cottage later. He hoped that her excitement would include a lot of kissing and cuddling as he smiled to himself.

He went downstairs to have a chat with Mrs. Patmore before breakfast. As he passed by Elsie's parlor he noticed that she was sitting at her desk working. It looked like she'd been hard at it for a couple of hours as the pile of pending paperwork had dwindled down to almost nothing.

"At this rate, you're going to need that morning nap right after breakfast," he said teasingly as he stepped into the room.

"So you _were_ listening last night," she said solemnly.

"About that, I'm sorry I fell asleep. I was so tired and between the wine and your _very_ talented hands…" he trailed off as he tried to reach out and take one of her hands across the desk.

She pulled away from him and busied herself with the stacks of paper on her desk. "I've finished up everything that doesn't have to wait until month's end to complete. I'm just working on a couple of notes and then I'll be right in to breakfast."

A puzzled look passed over Charles' face. This was a very different woman from the Elsie of last night.

"Is something the matter?" he inquired.

A ghost of a smile crossed her face and she said, "It's alright, I'll be along shortly."

-o _O_ o-

They sat side by side at the table eating their breakfast – silently. The tension in the room was palpable and had an effect on the rest of the staff.

When everyone was finished eating, Miss O'Brien finally spoke up, "Anna and I will be up in the attic looking through those trunks if you need us Mrs. Carson."

Elsie just nodded, looking down at the table in front of her. Anna and Miss O'Brien both looked over at Mr. Carson and all he could do was shrug his shoulders slightly indicating that he didn't know what was wrong either.

After everyone had left the table, Elsie stood and said, "I have just one more thing to attend to and then I think I'll go upstairs and have that nap." She turned and walked out of the door and over to her parlor.

Charles scratched the back of his head completely stymied. He didn't know whether he should go to her and press her into telling him what was wrong or just give her some time and let her come to him when she was ready. He opted for the middle ground, he would go and talk with Mrs. Patmore first, and then he would go to her and try to find out what was going on.

-o O o-

"Mrs. Patmore, I'd like to discuss some provisions to take down to the cottage for a couple of days," Charles said quietly upon entering the kitchens.

"Daisy and I have already taken a couple of boxes of staples down to stock up your kitchen," she said, looking towards the housekeeper's parlor as she stirred her stock pot. "Sugar, flour, salt, tea and the like. I figured we could set aside a basket just for you and Mrs. Carson for carrying the fresh things back and forth everyday."

She and Daisy seemed to have already worked out a system and schedule on their own. He just shook his head in amazement, "That's very kind of you Mrs. Patmore but I believe that Mrs. Carson and I will still be taking most of our meals here with the rest of the staff. It will only be when one or both of us has a half or a full day off that we might need additional provisions."

"That's fine, Mr. Carson, you just let me know what you need and when you need it," she kept stirring as she added a few spices to the stockpot.

"Well, what I need right now are provisions for the next day and a half. I was thinking perhaps some cold chicken and roast beef, enough for lunch and supper?" he said hopefully with a raised eyebrow.

"You'll be wanting something hot for your supper, now won't you?" Mrs. Patmore asked looking up at him.

"Well, neither I nor Mrs. Carson will likely…um…well, neither of us will want to bothered with cooking later tonight," he said blushing deeply.

Seeing him blush, she suddenly realized what he was hinting at, "Oh, yes…I tell you what, you drop back by here in an hour and I'll have everything you need packed and ready to go."

"Thank you, Mrs. Patmore," he said still a little embarrassed.

"Mr. Carson," she reached over and put her hand on his arm, "I sometimes forget that there's real love and romance in the world and it does my heart good to know that the two of you have found each other. But judging by the look on _her_ face this morning, I think that maybe you ought to go and find out what you've done wrong now…or knowing Mrs. Carson, you'll be finishing this cold supper on your own."

He looked up and saw that she was teasing him and he gave her a wry grin, "On my way, Mrs. Patmore."

-o O o-

The door to Elsie's parlor was open and he looked to see her desk empty so he headed up the stairs to his room to see if she was sleeping. He quietly opened the door and found the room empty. He went back downstairs and checked her parlor once more and continued on to his pantry when he didn't see her. Maybe she's just gone to the loo, he thought to himself, I'll get a bottle of wine from the cellar to put in the basket and perhaps she'll be back by then. He walked over to get the key to the wine cellar when he noticed two envelopes sitting in the middle of his desk – one addressed to his Lordship and one to himself.

He opened the one addressed to him and as he pulled the notepaper out something heavy slid out of the envelope and hit the top of his desk with a clink. He looked down and saw her silver chain with their wedding bands attached. He picked them up in his hand as he began to read her note.

_Dear Charles,_

_These last nine years with you have been some of the happiest of my life, especially the years since we've been married. All I ever wanted for us was to be happy and it is all that I want for you now. I will miss you terribly but I will not hold you to a promise that makes you so unhappy. Never forget that I love you._

_Elsie_

He sat staring at the rings in his hand and wondered what had happened. For all these years, she had been his compass, his northern star. Then, as the world changed…as Downton changed around him, she was the one constant in his life that he could count on and now he was losing her too. Suddenly his temper flared, "Dammit, Elsie, you're going to explain yourself if I have to wring it out of you!" He stuffed the rings into his pocket and slammed the door of his pantry behind him.

He knew he wouldn't find her in her parlor so he stomped up the back staircase to his room – she wasn't there. He stomped down the hallway to her room on the women's side and found it empty save for a suitcase sitting at the foot of the bed with her coat and hat. She never went anywhere without her coat and hat so that meant she was still here somewhere. Well, there was only one place else to look he thought as he stomped back down the staircase and out the back door.

-o _O_ o-

He rounded the corner into _their_ garden like a charging bull. She whipped around to face him and was suddenly frightened by the look on his face.

"Elsie Carson! I want to know what's going on and you're going to tell me right now!" he yelled at her.

"I don't have anything to say to you, Charles Carson," she yelled back at him turning to stare at the roses.

He grabbed her by the shoulders to turn her to him and he saw her grimace. At the look of fear and pain on her face, his anger deflated like a pricked balloon.

"Oh Elsie, I'm sorry," his voice sounded as though he were ready to cry. "I didn't mean to hurt you. I just want to know what I've done wrong."

She wanted to reach out and hold him and it was hard to keep from touching him on the arm. "Charles, you've done _nothing_ wrong. You can't help it if you've fallen in love with someone else."

"Fallen in love with someone else? Who?" he asked incredulously.

"You and Isobel Crawley," she said with a hitch in her voice as the tears started to form.

"Isobel Crawley?" his eyebrows shot up to his hairline in surprise. "What _ever_ in the world gave you the idea that Isobel Crawley and I were in love?"

"She told me," Elsie said hoarsely as the tears started down her cheeks.

"Isobel Crawley told you that she was in love with me?" He looked at her skeptically.

"She told me that she thought that you were handsome and that if she could get you to pay attention to her…" Elsie trailed off. "And then I heard the two of you in the attic. She told you there wasn't anything she wouldn't do for you, and then…and then you asked her to meet you the next morning." Elsie was sobbing now.

"Elsie, I can tell you right now that Isobel Crawley was not throwing herself at me in the attic that afternoon. All she could talk about was how you and I seemed so happy together and that it gave her hope that she might find someone herself even at this stage in her life."

"But what about asking her to meet you in the morning, was that not for your tryst down at the cottage? Daisy told me about it," she lashed out when she saw the blank look on his face.

"Daisy told you that Isobel and I had a 'tryst' down at the cottage?" he said evenly.

"Well, she said that you and Isobel had gone down to the cottage. What does it matter what her exact words were anyway?" the sobs subsided a bit and Elsie took out a handkerchief to blow her nose.

Charles started chuckling, "Elsie, my girl. How could you have gotten it so wrong?"

She crossed her arms over her chest, "I know what I heard, Charles!"

He took a few steps closer to her as he spoke, "Yes, I remember the conversation that you overhead as well. And I admit that Isobel and I have been working on a special project together. And yes, we've been meeting and spending time together to plan and execute the details of that project."

"What project?" Elsie asked accusingly.

"I think it would probably be best if I _showed_ you the project." He held out his hand to her but she hesitated to move closer to him. "Elsie, the least you could do before you go is allow me the opportunity to present my case before you find me guilty and pass judgment." He looked at her levelly and held out his hand again. This time she took it and he began to lead her down the stone path to the stables.

_**A/N2: Hopefully you're still scratching your heads trying to figure out what's going on…OR…you're still mad because your bum is still sore from the last time that I pulled the rug out from under you. Either way, I hope that you're still interested in reading the rest of the story….let me know what you're thinking! ;-P **_


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Sooo…does she stay? Or does she go? Let's see, shall we….**_

_**Disclaimer: Wish they were mine but they're not and I'm not gaining anything but a healthy dose of fun while playing with them. **_

Charles kept Elsie's hand firmly held in his although he did not try to draw her any closer as they walked down towards the stables. They walked in silence for a little while and Elsie finally asked, "So, what is this project?"

He looked at her for a moment or two as if contemplating whether or not to say anything and then replied, "Do you remember that I said Lord Grantham asked me to come down to the stables with him earlier this week?"

"Yes, you said last night that it was to help Mr. Laughton with some repairs around the stables."

They had reached the stables by this time and Charles led her over to a well worn bench that had been placed under the window in front of the old groom's cottage. They sat down side by side, not quite touching though he continued to hold her hand in his. They sat in silence for several long minutes as Charles contemplated his next move.

"I must confess that the repairs were not to the stables but to the groom's cottage," he said quietly. Elsie turned to look at the window behind her and noticed the draperies hanging there. "Come, I'll show you what Isobel and I have been working on." He unlocked the cottage door, a pained look passed over his face as he stood aside allowing her to pass by him. He had so been looking forward to sweeping her off her feet and carrying her across this same threshold. He only hoped and prayed that there would be another opportunity in their future.

Elsie looked around the main room taking in the rose colored draperies, the chintz covered settee and the embroidered daffodils on the cloth covering the small kitchen table. "It is quite nice, Charles, but don't you think it is a bit feminine for Mr. Laughton's tastes?" she said, not sure if she wanted to laugh or to cry.

He turned to her with a serious look on his face, "I'd like to tell you the story behind the things in this room, if I may?" Elsie's breath caught in her chest. She didn't see this look in his eyes very often but she knew that whatever the story, it was important to him and although she wasn't sure why, she found that she wanted to hear what he had to say.

Charles reached out and took hold of her hand again as he led her around the room. They started out in the kitchen, "Each of the things in this room was chosen with a lot of thought and even a lot of love for the person who will be living here soon. Mrs. Patmore and Daisy were very thoughtful when they picked out the crockery and china with the little daffodils to match the flowers on the linens because they knew that the new tenant loved the spring flowers."

He walked her over to the fireplace, "Anna and Daisy spent almost two full days cleaning and polishing every nook and cranny because they wanted to be sure that the new tenant wouldn't have to lift a finger in order to feel welcomed here. And you should know that Miss O'Brien worked very hard up at the main house to insure that her Ladyship and the younger ladies were dressed and ready everyday so that Anna would be able to come down here to work instead."

"Isobel picked out the rose draperies because they would hold out the cold in the winter time and they can be pulled back in the mornings because her best friend told her that lots of sunshine through the windows was important." Elsie's eyes widened a bit as Charles turned her to face the furniture in front of the fireplace. "She also chose the hearth rug and this settee covered in wildflowers so that her best friend would have a garden full of flowers indoors even in the wintertime.

By this time, Elsie's throat was beginning to constrict with unshed tears. "Charles, I don't understand, I heard you in the attic..."

"What you heard was a conversation that she and I were having whilst sorting through the furniture and trunks of linens looking for all these _things_ to turn this cottage into a home," he gestured around the room. "I was thanking her for spending time with you when I knew you would be bored and restless having to stay in bed all day and for helping me to sort things out with the family and with the cottage. You know how hopeless I am when it comes to décor unless it has to do with place settings or the tea service." He said laughing softly and shrugging his shoulders trying to lighten the mood.

He started to pull her closer but she put her hand against his chest and held him at arms length. "What did you mean when you said to Isobel that you were 'destined to spend more time in more informal circumstances'?" she questioned.

"It was something that Isobel said to me the evening after she'd had tea with you in the servants' quarters. I believe that what she meant was that since you and she had become such close friends, the _three_ of us were likely to be spending time together in more informal settings such as having tea or the occasional meal together. She had asked me to call her by her Christian name when it was _just us_," he emphasized.

Then suddenly it hit her, "Charles? If all of these things were picked out for me…." She trailed off.

He did draw her close this time and smiled down at her, "That's what his Lordship wanted to discuss with me when he brought me down here to the stables. Lord and Lady Grantham have offered us the groom's cottage as our personal residence…when we're not needed up at the main house of course."

"Which likely means we won't be spending much time down here," she snorted softly.

"Be that as it may, it is still ours and I bestow upon my Lady, the key," he dangled the key to the cottage between them and she reached up hesitantly to take it from him. "Now you hold all the keys, Elsie my girl - the key to my heart and the key to our home." He held her close and covered her lips with a soft kiss.

"Oh Charles," she lamented as she curled into him and placed her head on his shoulder, "can you _ever_ forgive me?"

"There's nothing to forgive, my dear. I should never have tried to keep this a secret from you," he breathed in her scent as he kissed the top of her head.

She looked past his shoulder and saw the photographs standing on the mantelpiece. "Where did those come from?"

"Courtesy of Anna and Miss O'Brien as well, they took the liberty of nicking them from your parlor and my pantry," he said as she slipped out of his arms to take closer look. "I'll put the kettle on shall I?" He smiled and moved toward the kitchen, giving her time and space to soak in the details of the cottage.

"You kept our wedding photograph in your pantry?" she sounded surprised.

"No, that one I kept in the top drawer of my dresser. I brought that down myself when we were moving the furniture."

Elsie moved around the room as Charles prepared the teapot and two cups and placed them on the kitchen table. She opened the door at the far end of the room as he spoke, "That is the bedroom but I think that we'll have to go into the village to find a bed for it, there wasn't one up in the attic."

"But why, Charles? This bed is beautiful," he heard her say.

He dashed into the bedroom and almost knocked Elsie down in his haste. His jaw quite literally dropped when he saw the magnificent mahogany four-poster bed which was so large it took up most of the space in the small room. The headboard was carved with two intertwining hearts topped by a crown. The quilt on the bed was sewn with the same pattern.

"Charles, what's the matter?" Elsie said seeing the blank look on his face.

"Nothing, it's just that Mr. Laughton had said not to worry, that he had…" Charles voice trailed off as he saw the envelope with his name on it sitting on top of the pillow. He opened it and found the note:

_Charles,_

_My Maura and I spent many years living in this cottage – years of caring, loving, fighting and yes, making up. I'm sure that my Maura would agree that we are happy that you and Elsie will be able to spend many long years together here doing the same._

_The carving on the headboard is a Luckenbooth – a symbol of love and devotion in Scottish culture. Maura spent several winters, including her last, sewing the matching quilt. I know that it would have given her great pleasure to know that I was presenting this bed to you and Elsie as our gift to celebrate your marriage. _

_This bed was given to us as a wedding gift from Maura's mother and father. It has been handed down from mother to son for many generations in her family. There was only Maura and her sister in her family so the bed came to us as the first married of the daughters. _

_Maura and I were never blessed with children and her sister passed away without having been married so our only request would be that you find someone that you care about to pass the bed on to when the time comes. _

_Again, we extend our congratulations on your marriage and I hope that you and Elsie will be as happy as we were in this cottage._

_Joseph (and Maura) Laughton_

"What is it, Charles?" Elsie said peering around his shoulder at the letter in his hands.

"It's from Mr. Laughton," said Charles quietly. He is giving us the bed as a wedding gift from him and his wife, Maura. The carving is of…"

"A luckenbooth," finished Elsie, "and look at the date on the carving, Charles…1782. This bed must have been in his family for generations."

"Her family," he said putting his arm around her shoulders as they stood looking at the bed. "His only request is that we pass the bed on to someone that we care about when the time comes."

They stood in silence for a few more minutes when Elsie turned into his embrace and buried her face in his chest. "Elsie?" he asked kissing the top of her head and tightening his arms around her. She just shook her head and remained silent. He slipped his hand between them and lifted her chin so that he could look in her eyes.

"I don't know what came over me, Charles. I should have trusted you, trusted your love for me. I just don't seem to have been thinking straight this past week." She felt the rumble of his chest as he chuckled softly.

"First, let's agree that there will be no more secrets between us?" he said looking at her questioningly. "We will always talk things out and we'll confront things head on, even though neither of us is very good at it?"

It was her turn to chuckle, "Agreed."

"In that case, I believe that what's good for the gander should be allowable for the goose as well." Elsie shook her head in bewilderment trying to make sense of what he'd said.

"What I mean is, if you can accept my 'years of stupidity,' I believe that I can grant you a 'week of stupidity' and we can blame it on your illness if you like!" They both burst into laughter.

"That felt good," he said looking down at her, "It's been awhile since we've laughed like that."

"It did feel good, but I think I know something that might feel even better," she smirked as she pushed him back against the edge of the bed.

He sat down and then quickly moved to the middle of the bed allowing her to take the lead. She climbed onto the bed beside him and then moved herself to straddle his hips. She looked around the bed and shook her head in amazement.

"What?" he asked.

"This bed is huge," she laughed, "at least compared to your bed in the servants' quarters."

"Well…then we may have to do this several more times," he murmured as he slid his hands along her thighs and up to grasp her hips. "Just to see which side or end of the bed provides the best support for the given activity."

"Charles!" she exclaimed, blushing profusely.

He reached up and pulled her down against his chest to kiss her lovingly. She worked the buttons on his shirt as he rubbed circles along her back. He sat up and shifted her slightly in his lap so that she could slide the shirt off his shoulders. He then worked the buttons on her blouse which he discarded on the floor along with his shirt.

He wrapped his arms around her and continued to kiss along her jawline and nibble her ear as he loosened the fastenings on her corset. She reached up behind her neck and then suddenly clasped one hand to her chest with a sharp gasp.

"Our wedding bands!"

"Elsie! Please, don't ever do that again! You about gave me a heart attack thinking I'd hurt you."

" But Charles, our wedding bands are up in your pantry. What are we going to do?"

It had become a bit of a ritual in their lovemaking. Once she had undressed down to her corset and shift, she would remove the chain with their wedding bands from around her neck and they would repeat their vows as they placed the bands on each other. It made them feel more connected when they had to keep their marriage hidden.

"I guess I'll just have to get up and go get them," he sighed deeply as he removed her from his lap and rose from the bed.

"Not again," she looked up at him with tears in her eyes. "This will be the third time in as many days that you will have left me while I was making love to you."

Charles knelt down next to the bed and took her hand in his, "I'm sorry, love. Fortunately…" he trailed off as he reached into the pocket of his trousers. He placed the small gold band on her left hand as he looked up at her.

"I, Charles, take thee Elsie to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us depart." He bowed his head and kissed the ring on her finger. Then he rose and sat on the bed next to her and held out his hand, palm up. Elsie gulped back the tears as she stared down at the gold band nestled in his palm.

"I don't deserve you, you know," she said quietly.

"Yes, you do, besides…who else would put up with the two of us?" She looked at him quizzically. "You, the Scottish Dragon," he paused as Elsie snorted, "and me, the unyielding and reticent butler. "Maybe we deserve each other?"

"Perhaps," she said and watched him for a few moments more. Then she rose up on her knees to sit close to him. She took the ring from him and placed it on his left hand which she then placed on her chest and covered with both of hers. She looked him directly in the eyes as she spoke, "I, Elsie, take thee, Charles, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us depart."

Charles was almost overwhelmed by the depth of feeling that he could see shining in her eyes. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as close as he could and whispered in her ear, "God, I love you." He then turned to lay her down on the bed beneath him and proceeded to show her exactly how much that was.

_**A/N2: There is an epilogue that will hopefully tie up one or two loose ends as well as incorporate an idea from one of the reviewers…so as you can see, your reviews are important! **_

_**A/N3: I REALLY have to give credit here to Onesimus for acting as my beta for this story. She would say that she didn't do much but it was due to her input AND encouragement that this story went from what would likely have been a rather boring 8 - 10 chapter story to the monster that you've all been enjoying. I incorporated the luckenbooth into this story to pay homage to Onesimus and because in my own little AU, I see the luckenbooth as the hallmark of my favorite Downton Abbey "ship".**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N: We have finally come to the end of our story. I have to tell ya'll that your response has been overwhelming and I truly appreciate the number of people who have stopped by to "visit" my story. This was my very first fanfic…and I figured it would likely be my last being the left brained, logical thinking, INTJ, non-creative, Vulcan-type that I am…but if the numbers are true and ya'll really did enjoy the story, then I think I might be talked into taking another shot at it once the gestational plot bunnies that have moved into the cottage come to maturity. I would also be very interested to hear from you if there was any aspect of this story that you would like to see further developed. I'm into sequels and prequels if the desire is there. **_

_**A/N2: I realized early on that I was creating a lot of sexual tension that was not exactly being resolved as the story developed….so I wrote a chapter that would definitely take care of that issue. Then I realized that if I included it here, the entire story would get flipped over into the M-rated section of the website so I originally decided not to publish it. After some hints in the reviews and a couple of PMs from folks who thought the last chapter ended a little "abruptly"- I have posted the M-rated chapter as a one-shot companion piece (it takes place between Chapter 19 and the Epilogue)– search the M-rated section for "The Groom's Cottage – Supplemental" if you are having issues with unresolved sexual tension! ;-)**_

**EPILOGUE**

The door of the cottage flew open with a bang and Charles suddenly found himself standing in the kitchen with two armfuls of Scottish housekeeper. She'd thrown her arms around his neck and was holding on so tightly that he had to lift her up off the floor to keep her from strangling him.

"Elsie, my dear," he said holding her tightly as she cried on his shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," she sobbed in his ear. "It's William…he's alive!"

He set her down on the floor as she loosened her hold on him and lifted her chin so he could look into her eyes. "So tell me," he said waiting expectantly.

"The telephone rang in your pantry and when I answered it, it was his Lordship. He said that Matthew Crawley and some of the other soldiers from his regiment had arrived at the hospital in London. He went on to say that one of the young men who had been unconscious since he had been brought in from the battlefield was riding in the same ambulance as Mr. Crawley and when he looked over to see who it was, Matthew recognized that it was William. Charles, he's still unconscious but he's alive and he's in London." Elsie's knees suddenly went weak and he slipped his arms around her waist to steady her. He led her to a chair at the kitchen table and that was when she noticed that he was not alone.

It had been a couple of months since they moved into the old groom's cottage and life had settled into a bit of a routine. They had been able to hire a young new footman named Tobias who was working out quite nicely. Having both Tobias and Anna serving at table had proven to be a boon to Charles in that he was able to stand back and do more of the organizing and supervising rather than having to run up and down the stairs himself…and for this, Elsie was truly grateful.

Having Tobias on staff also allowed for he and Elsie to have full days off together twice each month. These were days that they selfishly hoarded for spending time together at the cottage. They would make the occasional trip to Ripon or walk into the village when they needed something from the shops but otherwise they spent their time together tending to the housekeeping, the flowerboxes or preparing a meal together just like other married couples.

It was their half days off that brought about the most change for them. They rarely ended up with half days off together so these were the afternoons where they indulged their own individual interests and cultivated their own friendships. For Elsie, that meant long visits with Isobel exchanging news about Matthew and working on new curtains and linens for the cottage. They'd even decided that they both deserved new frocks for the upcoming holiday season and had planned a trip to Ripon to shop for fabric.

The changes in Charles were what surprised Elsie. He had taken to inviting Mr. Laughton over for a sandwich and a beer when he had an afternoon off. During the course of conversation he discovered that Mr. Laughton liked to play cribbage so the next time that he and Elsie made a trip to the village, he purchased a cribbage board and a deck of cards. It was on one of these afternoons playing cribbage that Dr. Clarkson dropped by the cottage to see how Elsie was faring and it wasn't long before he was pulled into the game as well. Soon it was "Charles, Joseph and Richard" arguing over points and nibs and who's turn it would be to make the sandwiches for the next week.

Elsie and Charles occasionally did end up with the same half days off and at first, he offered to forego his standing cribbage match but she so enjoyed watching him relax with his friends and listening to their banter. Instead, she took to inviting Isobel over so that she would have someone to talk to as well.

After the first two or three times that Isobel dropped by the cottage on the same afternoons that Dr. Clarkson did, he started to call Charles the day before to find out if this would be one of the weeks that Isobel would be coming over as well. Soon he was offering to drive over and pick her up since he was going over to the cottage anyway…of course.

And so it did not come as a surprise to Elsie when she looked across the table to find Richard and Isobel smiling at her. "You knew!" she exclaimed looking up at Charles.

"Only just," he said holding up his hands in surrender hoping his Scottish housekeeper wasn't going to turn into the Scottish dragon.

"The hospital in London called to inform me of the patients who had arrived from the field hospital who were listed for our village," chimed in Richard. "I went to tell Isobel about Matthew and then we drove over here just as fast as we could but it looks like his Lordship was ahead of us."

A fresh wave of tears broke over Elsie and she lay her head down on her arms and sobbed. Making shushing sounds, Charles gathered her up in his arms and slipped onto the chair beneath her so he hold her on his lap and comfort her.

After a few minutes Isobel walked over and placed her hand on Elsie's shoulder. "There are a few things that I need to do at the hospital so that Richard isn't left in the lurch but I'm leaving for London in two days time…would you consider coming with me?"

Elsie looked up and covered her friend's hand with her own. She shook her head saying, "I couldn't, there's so much to do here."

"Now, now, Elsie," Charles interrupted. "I'm sure that we could spare you for a few days. Perhaps you could drive down to London with Isobel and then take the train back." He rubbed her back gently as her sobbing subsided. "You go down and see for yourself how your young man is doing and then you can go back when he's finally up around."

"Do you really think I could?" she asked.

"As a matter of fact, there are several letters here and a package that I was preparing for the post. You could deliver them to his Lordship while you're down there. I'm sure that I can work something out with her Ladyship. It might even be that her Ladyship and the girls would have a few things for you to take down as well," he said reassuringly.

"That's settled then," said Isobel with a firm voice. "Richard and I need to get back to the hospital if I'm going to be ready to leave on schedule."

Richard helped Isobel on with her coat as Charles and Elsie walked them to the door. They exchanged hugs and handshakes and Richard and Isobel started up the walkway towards his motorcar. As they walked, Richard reached over and took Isobel's hand in his and she turned her head to smile up at him.

"I saw that," came Elsie's voice through the silence. Isobel turned to look over her shoulder and saw her best friend standing in the doorway of the cottage. They exchanged grins and Elsie turned to her husband who chose that moment to sweep her off her feet and carry her across the threshold.

_**A/N3: Again, thank you SO MUCH for sticking with me until the bitter end! LOL! ;-)**_


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